When the men of the Otterly Lancers are sent to fight the Zulus, Sarah Penghalion, the local postmistress, can only wait and pray for her father's safe return. As she becomes involved in the lives of Lady Constance Weston and gypsy, Hepzi Briar, whose men are also away at war, Sarah meets charming Race Davenport and his disagreeable brother, Ewart. However there is a secret in Sarah's family. When it comes to light it ultimately threatens her happiness. How will the man she loves react once he finds out who she really is?