It is 1793 and with Adam still at sea and St John banished to America, the Loveday family must struggle to survive in the face of fresh scandals and shocking revelations. Japhet Loveday has fled to London to forget the heartache of his love affair with Cornish heiress, Gwendolyn Druce. Cast adrift, he finds himself drawn into the criminal underworld and, when he runs out of money, turns to highway robbery to make a living. As his life continues to spiral out of control he seeks comfort in a passionate affair with Celestine Yorke, one of London's most popular actresses, careless of the threats made by her lover, Lord Pettigrew Osgood. But when Gwen herself arrives in London Celestine's ardour soon turns to obsessive jealousy. She returns to Osgood, vowing to ruin Japhet. Meanwhile, Edward and Amelia's marriage is rocked by the arrival of his illegitimate daughter, Tamasine, who has come to claim her place in the family. Can the Lovedays rise above the scandals which threaten to tear them apart?