It is England in the 1840's, and 'Railway mania' is raging. Fortunes are being made - and lost. Unfortunately for Harriet Pearson, the intelligent 23 year old daughter of a retired schoolmaster, her father was one of the unlucky ones. He lost his savings in a failed railway scheme, suffered a stroke, and was confined to his bed for eight years. After his funeral Harriet travels to Yorkshire to stay with an old school friend, Lady Blanche Waldegrave...