Bristol England, 1820. Helena Winters, the twenty year old daughter of a wealthy attorney, is set for a life of privilege, duty and obligation. But when the dashing Samuel Freeman, a black merchant at the city docks, rescues Helena she is captivated by the dark stranger. They continue to meet secretly, but as their passion grows news of their liaison spreads around Bristol's society. Helena struggles against social prejudice and her own beliefs, unable to find the answers she craves. Her father's anger is ignited and Helena is forced to make a choice: she either marries a white man who will take her for her dowry or her family will have nothing more to do with her. She knows that her decision will have far reaching consequences for those she loves. But the consequences of getting it wrong are too awful to consider.