When the beloved grandfather who brought her up dies, Charity is left struggling to cope. Alone and rootless, she's drawn to the sleepy fishing village of Beaumouth near Lyme Regis and begins to research her family tree. A chance encounter with attractive boat-builder Matt sparks a chain of mysterious and unsettling events and leads Charity to uncover the story of a young girl who lived in the village over a hundred years before. In 1863 all Lydia Pavey wants to do is follow in Mary Anning's footsteps and become a 'fossilist.' Instead, she is being forced into marriage to a man she barely knows. Charity's obsession with Lydia becomes all-consuming and she risks losing everything. With a longed-for family tantalisingly in reach, will Charity find the happy ever after she's yearned for and, most importantly, can she save the man she loves? ****