The first part of the trilogy introduces the Moorhouse family – Arthur, the successful business man and first of the family to move to Glasgow; David, the dashing and impulsive socialite; Bel, driven by ruthless social ambition; and Phoebe, the half-sister from the Highlands who grows up to be a great beauty. The second and third volumes follow the changing fortunes of the family, as their lives are touched by triumph and tragedy – in Glasgow at the height of the Victorian era, and in Vienna, glittering capital of the Hapsburg Empire.