Two friends. One city on the brink. A past that refuses to stay buried. When Damon Finnegan and Robert Fletcher-lifelong friends and rugby-mad adventurers-arrive in Calcutta, they expect heat, colour, and carefree escape. Their base is Burnham Cottage, a colonial mansion owned by Damon's enigmatic Uncle Fred, where the echoes of empire linger in every shadowed room. Then they meet Flora. Beautiful, guarded, and Anglo-Indian, Flora draws them into a world far darker than the holiday they imagined. When a brutal murder shocks the city, and a burglary at the cottage exposes documents linked to colonial corruption, Damon and Robert find themselves entangled in a dangerous web of secrets and lies. Flora's sudden return-with a child she claims as her son-sets off a devastating chain of events, ending in a fatal confrontation and a choice that will mark the two men forever. London, 1939. War is looming, and the past will not stay silent. A single newspaper article resurrects the Calcutta scandal, triggering a police investigation-and forcing Damon to confront the consequences of what he and Robert did all those years ago. As bombs fall and the world unravels, Damon encounters Flora again in a London bomb shelter. Their romance flourishes. But Flora is still stricken by the loss of her son. She commits suicide. This time, there is no escape. Romantic historical fiction at its best. It will stay with you long after you have read the last page.