For free spirit Ena Rose, the daughter of Ailsa Rose, growing up in Glen Affric has been idyllic. But womanhood looms; she faces tormenting questions of the heart -- and a love that can never be. Then there are the women whose destinies have unfolded over decades and eras; Mairi Rose, warm and wise, who binds the family together...Ailsa, who found boundless happiness in her daughter, Ena...Wan Lian, who after leaving China is driven by soul-consuming sorrow and anger at the death of her loved ones...and Genevra Townsend, who finds amongst the exotic dangers of India an inner serenity that will enable her to return at last to Glen Affric.