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"... wonderfully fast-paced and readable... I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to be transported to a different place and time and wants a thoroughly absorbing read," Ann Bennett, bestselling author of 'The Orphan House.'

Hong Kong 1941 and the streets are filled with Japanese soldiers. Two young people are brought together then separated by terrible cruelty.

Fifteen-year-old Kate lives a rarefied life of wealth and privilege in the pre-war Hong Kong expatriate community, but when the Japanese invade, she's interned in squalid Stanley Camp with her parents. Enduring cramped conditions, humiliation, disease, and starvation, Kate befriends seventeen-year-old Charles, who is half Chinese, and they give their hearts to each other under the orchid tree.

Meanwhile, forty miles away in Portuguese Macau, thirteen-year-old Sofia's suspicions are aroused when her father invites a Japanese family to dinner, an event which leads to a breach between Sofia and her controlling half-brother, Leo.

In December 1948, adult Kate returns to Hong Kong, determined to put the past behind her. Sofia dreams of leaving Macau and starting a new life, and she won't let anyone, not even Leo, stop her.

A young Englishman, James, becomes the link between Kate and Sofia. The communist-nationalist struggle in China spills over into the colony, catapulting the protagonists into the turmoil with disastrous consequences.

A delightful mix of adventure, romance and tragic modern history.

Perfect for readers of Dinah Jefferies, Kate Furnivall and Rhys Bowen