From the bestselling author of The Thorn Birds comes a family saga replete with tragedy, pathos, history and passion. At its center is Alexander Kinross, who fled poverty in Scotland to make his fortune in the American and Australian gold fields. When he writes home for a bride, his Scottish relatives send his sixteen-year-old cousin, Elizabeth. Frightened of her husband and isolated in his great house, Elizabeth finds that the intimacies of marriage do not prompt him to enlighten her about his life, past or present. She has no idea that he has a mistress established in the town who is a partner in his company. Alexander is resolved to have both of them. Why should he not? He has the fabled "Midas Touch."