A glittering portrait of fashionable Edwardian English high society seen through the lives of a brother and sister torn by ties to the past and the lure of the modern era. Sebastian is the heir of Chevron, a vast and beautiful English country estate. As such he is a fixed part of an eternal round of lavish parties, intrigues, traditions and fashions at the cold, decadent heart of Edwardian high society. Everyone knows the role Sebastian must play, but Sebastian isn't sure he wants the part. His sister Viola, meanwhile, scorns every part of her inheritance and is searching for a way out. The brave new world of the twentieth--century offers both escape and destruction.