What is the secret the painter Thomas Tait Genoa is hiding as he flees through the West Country with his Siamese twin daughters?

It is 1849 and a summer of foul weather. Recovering from a breakdown, Genoa is certain of only one thing—that his pursuers will stop at nothing to recapture the two babies in the back of his cart.

Why is he so desperate and why has he stolen the babies?

He trusts no one. Friends turn out to be enemies. Racked with grief and guilt, he yearns for his dead wife. His fears for the well-being of the children grow as epidemics of scarlet fever and cholera close in. And as the health of one deteriorates he is cast into an impossible dilemma: if he returns them it will be to certain death. But where can he hide them that will guarantee their safety?

Could the eccentric photographer James Jacks who dabbles in pornography turn out to be the ally he needs? Will his attraction to the governess Harriet Julien help or hinder him?

Genoa’s frantic flight draws him relentlessly to the remote north Devon coast and to a shock conclusion that changes everything – for him and for the two children he loves and has fought so hard to protect.