The Matriarch
Janet Darling, born in 1854, the daughter of a clergyman, is a perfect embodiment of the Victorian virtues of duty and propriety, and yet as she grows into a beautiful young woman and enters in marriage with a wealthy businessman, we see that Janet Darling is something more. She possesses an independence of mind and spirit that makes her unique and utterly unpredictable.

Several men fall completely in love with her. Andrew Cunninghame is the hard-driving, insensitive tycoon who is determined to get what he wants from Janet. he teaches her about marriage. Torquil MacRae, the tempestuous artists, is one of the world's highest paid painters when he is commissioned to do Janet's portrait. He teachers her about passion. Mack Bradford, an art dealer, is a genuine American aristocrat from New England. He teaches her about love.