When Tom Walsh sets sail for America in 1869 he knows it may be the last time he sees his beloved Ireland. His mother's death and his father's shattered health are the cruel legacies of the Penal Laws and decades of hardship, and Tom has vowed not to return until he can do so a rich man. Together with his sister Maria, he begins a journey across the prairies of the New World - towards Ouray, Colorado, and gold. Thirty years later, the rewards of America's great gold rush have made Tom Walsh one of the world's richest men. But when his daughter Evalyn persuades him to buy the notorious Hope Diamond - thought to be cursed by the Indian goddess, Sita - he learns that tragedy and heartache serve a master far greater than money or stature...