1926. Violet Armstrong is a waitress at the grand Evergreen Spa Hotel, where Australia's glitterati are spending a winter vacation. Among the guests are Sam and Flora Honeychurch-Blacks, a wealthy brother and sister ensconced in the hotel for an extended stay. Violet and Sam have an attraction that is as passionate as it is forbidden. When a snowstorm moves in, the group must let their secrets be buried by the snow ... Eighty-eight years later, Lauren Beck takes a job at a café in the Blue Mountains, built as the first stage of the Evergreen Spa Hotel's return to grandeur. She discovers a series of passionate love letters dating back to 1926 that allude to a whirlwind affair-- and a tragic secret.