The story of a family and a special dress, passed down from mother to daughter, during times of fortune, loss, tragedy and victory, by the world's favourite storyteller, Danielle Steel.

The Deveraux family are among the most important members of 1920s San Francisco society, and the wedding of their daughter Eleanor to wealthy banker Alexander Allen is the highlight of the 1929 social calendar. The wedding, held in the family's magnificent mansion, is everything they'd hoped it would be, and Eleanor's dress is a triumph. Designed by a famous fashion house in Paris, it is exquisite in every way. But their dream life comes to an end when Alex receives news of the Wall Street Crash. The family has lost everything ...

In the years that follow, the Deveraux family live through periods of huge social and political change. Handed down from those with inherited fortunes to self-made men and women, the wedding dress remains a cherished heirloom for a family desperate to survive the turmoil and changing fortunes of the times.