With the tumult of the Great War finally at an end, ambitious Samuel Cole returns from Europe determined to forge his own destiny as a wealthy entrepreneur. The lush lands of the Caribbean will provide the means to wealth, but they offer private bounty as well--"a bride. Marguerite-Josefina Diaz is the toast of Havana, the convent-educated daughter of a wealthy cigar manufacturer. Beautiful and intelligent, M.J. dreams of distant lands and a liberated future for herself--"and she believes charming, handsome Samuel will deliver both. But neither of them anticipates the new realities of their life in West Palm Beach--"the social injustices, the demands of a growing family, and the secret passions that threaten the empire Samuel has vowed to build. As the country staggers through the Depression and headlong into an uncertain economic future, Samuel and M.J. will question the bonds of blood, the cost of passion, and the strength of love.
