All he wants is a quiet wife. But she wants something more . . . 1867, Liverpool. Wife to an errant husband, the art patron Frederick Leyland, Frances is losing her sense of self. So when Frederick announces they are moving into the crumbling Speke Hall, she throws herself into the all-consuming task of renovating their once-magnificent new home.

But when one of Frederick's proteges - the handsome, brooding American artist James Whistler - offers to help Frances decorate, she and the painter form an instant connection. And under the painter's gaze, Frances begins to see that like the house, there is neglected splendour within her, too. Inspired by the possibilities the artist arouses in her, she begins to wonder if love might still be in the picture for her, after all...

Based on a true story, this is the heady, slow-burn tale of a woman reinventing herself, while embarking on a daring, forbidden love affair with James Whistler.