The novel is written in the best traditions of English romantic adventure prose. The novel takes place in India in the mid-19th century. The girl Winter from a noble family at the age of 12 is engaged to the High Commissioner of India, Lord Barton. When she comes of age, Barton sends his assistant Alex Randall to retrieve her. Alex tries to dissuade the girl from marrying the rude and depraved Barton, but she still goes to India. A lot of dangers await her there; on the eve of her arrival, a sepoy uprising flares up. Alex and Winter find themselves involved in the very thick of the uprising with its bloody orgies and destruction, dangers await them everywhere, and only through separation and suffering can they unite their destinies.