In the grey, scholarly world of Cambridge in 1912, Harriet Morton has lived her whole life under the strict rule of her widowed father and miserly aunt. When she is offered the opportunity to dance with the corps de ballet on a tour of the Amazon, she steals away on a boat bound for Manaus.

On arrival, Harriet meets the captivating British aristocrat, Rom Verney. Swept up in the exhilarating life of Brazil and the glorious worlds of romance and ballet, how can Harriet keep her new-found freedom when the life she left behind is catching up with her?