It's the late 1870s. Frances Irvine, destitute in the wake of her father's sudden death, is forced to abandon her life of wealth and privilege in London and emigrate to South Africa. In the Cape, a land that's remote and inhospitable, she becomes entangled with two very different men. One driven by ambition, the other by his ideals. Only when the rumour of a smallpox epidemic takes her into the dark heart of the diamond mines, does she see her path to happiness. But in a ruthless world of greed and exploitation, the spoils of the rich come at a terrible human price: powerful men will keep the mines in operation - at any cost. Torn between passion and integrity, she makes a choice that has devastating consequences...