As a child, Julia Forrester would linger in the hothouse of Wharton Park estate, where exotic flowers tended by her grandfather blossomed and faded with the seasons. Now, recovering from a family tragedy, she once more seeks comfort at Wharton Park, newly inherited by Kit Crawford, a charismatic man with a sad story of his own. But when a years-old diary is found during renovation work, the pair turn to Julia's grandmother to hear the truth about the love affair that turned Wharton Park's fortunes sour ... And so Julia is plunged back in time, to the world of Olivia and Harry Crawford, a young couple torn apart by the Second World War – and whose fragile marriage is destined to affect the happiness of generations to come, including Julia's own.