The Heart of the Hills

Summary

From the politically charged crucible of colonial India emerges a narrative steeped in the tragic irony of fate and fractured identity. Young Hester, a mere child, is brutally severed from her origins, conscripted into the fervent ranks of revolutionaries. Molded by their zealous ideology, she blossoms into a dedicated agent, dispatched to England on a mission of profound symbolic weight: to reclaim a sacred ruby, a national treasure purportedly pilfered by her biological father, Sir Christopher Radwick. Yet, the cold calculus of vengeance dissolves under the unexpected warmth of human connection. Amidst the opulent yet stifling grandeur of her father's estate, Hester succumbs to the tender allure of romance, falling deeply for the estate's manager. This burgeoning affection compels her to renounce her revolutionary vows, choosing personal happiness over the relentless pursuit of retribution. However, the revolutionaries, unyielding in their convictions, are not a forgiving sort; their shadow extends across oceans, relentlessly pursuing their perceived traitor. The narrative culminates in a devastating crescendo when Sir Christopher is found dead, poisoned, and the very woman who abandoned her cause for love finds herself ensnared in a web of suspicion, accused of the heinous crime of patricide.

Synopsis

Young Hester is kidnapped in India by revolutionaries. As she grows up she becomes one of them, and is sent to England to recover a holy ruby taken from India by her father, Sir Christopher Radwick. However, she falls in love with the manager of her father's estate, and gives up her revolutionary activities. The revolutionaries aren't the forgiving types, however, and follow her to England. When Hester's father dies and is found to have been poisoned, Hester is accused of the crime.