1855, Lucknow. As tensions simmer in the heat of repressive colonial India, a prince of Avadh and an English woman defy their societies' prejudices to fall in love. But in a world where private happiness is at the mercy of wider events, even as Salim and Rachael are drawn closer together, their privileged lives are about to be torn apart.Trouble begins when the British annex Avadh and banish the rightful king. Determined to recover what is rightfully his, Salim seizes the chance to fight back when a small sepoy mutiny flares into bloody rebellion against British rule. As unrest spreads across the subcontinent, the contested ancient city of Lucknow proves one of the most dangerous places to be. Torn between their loyalties to each other, their families and the opposing sides that threaten to raze Lucknow to the ground, can Salim and Rachael's love prove strong enough to rise above the devastation surrounding them, and survive together to a world beyond?