[1] The novel starts the summer of 1897, three years after a married couple, Bryony Asquith and Leo Marsden, have been estranged.

Dr. Asquith is required at her home in England, and her family has asked her husband to retrieve her at her clinic in the Rumbur valley of the Chitral District in what was then the northwest frontier of India.

In a review, they said, "Thomas has quickly become a fan favorite thanks to her wonderful storytelling and her unique ability to get into her characters' minds and our hearts.

"[3] A reviewer at Dear Author likened her first three novels to Laura Kinsale, with this one having "echoes of the best of Mary Balogh, as well – not just in the ability to evoke emotion with slightly sensationalistic plot points but in some sentimental family reunions towards the end".

[4] However, Jane Litte at the same site gave it B− and while noting its rich, evocative prose, she felt the motivation behind the reconciliation was lacking, as was any admission by the heroine of her own culpability.