Ally Moberley, a recently licensed physician, never expected to marry until she met Tom Cavendish. Only weeks into their marriage, Tom sets out for Japan, leaving Ally as she begins work at the Truro Asylum in England. Horrified by the brutal late 19th century attitudes of male doctors and nurses towards their female patients, Ally plunges into the harsh politics governing women's mental health at a time when madness is only just being considered a treatable condition. Ally, too, has experienced neglect and insecurity and identifies with the dire circumstances of institutionalized women. Tom, an architect, is employed to oversee the building of a Japanese lighthouse. He also has a commission from a wealthy collector to bring back rare embroideries. During his travels through Japan, he begins to questions the value of the life he has left behind. As Ally becomes increasingly absorbed in the importance of her work, and Tom is captured by his aesthetic interests on the other side of the world, when they return to each other will their young marriage survive?
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