A dependent girl without money or status has few options in Victorian England, and sixteen-year-old Charlotte Campion-who knows little about the world beyond her stultifying vicarage childhood-is no exception. But when her grandfather arranges to have her marry a man who repels her, Charlotte determines she must find not only excitement in her life, but freedom, too. In an engaging novel of adventure and romance, K. M. Peyton presents a cast of fully-realized, finely-drawn characters who choose not to be bound by convention. As they hike in the Swiss Alps and restore an English country estate, they confront British class divisions, fall in and out of love, grow older, have a marvelous time, and become life-long friends. Readers will feel so welcomed into this family of characters and intrigued by their era that they will not want the story to end.