For Sarah Hawke, daughter of an impoverished miner, life offers little beyond the grime of 1890's Glasgow and the drudgery of back-breaking work. Until a mysterious stranger enters her life Ü a stranger who turns out to be her real father, the owner of a vast and prosperous shipping empire. Catapulted into a world of luxury, of servants and stately homes, Sarah begins a new and glittering life. As sole heiress to a fortune, she has much to gain Ü and everything to lose. For she takes over the business, and with it the risks, rivalry, deceit and intrigue, as well as the prospect of love. 506pp. minor crease