Edward Dunsill, a wealthy 65-year-old Englishman, becomes obsessed with preserving his family name by finding, or producing, a male heir.His mission leads him into a bizarre love affair and a mysterious criminal conspiracy involving a distant relative.The action moves from a traditional English seaside resort and the surrounding Lincolnshire fens and marshes, to the beautiful Scottish Isle of Skye and the bustling Vietnamese capital, Hanoi.