Launching onto the train to join Sofia and Andres as they travel to southern Spain, Jack has no thought for the responsibilities that await him on the other side of the world. All he knows is that he isn't ready to leave the woman who'd captured his heart in Paris. For Jack, life is perfect on the twins' farm in Mlaga, with its sweeping views of the Mediterranean; sharing the enduring charm of a Spanish lifestyle with Sofia and spending his days painting with Andres. Even so, misunderstandings and complications arise, and Jack has doubts about his future. Personal tragedy and a decline in economic circumstances force Jack and Sofia to leave Spain and they travel across the world to Australia, seeking financial security and family connections.
Before long, the heady lure of Melbourne's art world beckons and, falling under the spell of the charismatic but dominating Justus Jorgensen, Jack and Sofia embrace his dream to build an artists' colony, ultimately living at Montsalvat - a place whose buildings are modelled on seventeenth century Europe and where residents live cooperatively, freed from the constraints of social conventions. The arrival of their long-awaited baby, Scotty, fulfils their dreams and Jack has never felt happier. While the bohemian lifestyle of Montsalvat proves stimulating, Jack and Sofia are increasingly disturbed by the darker side of Jorgensen's personality. They make plans for a fresh start, in a home of their own. Tragically, their excitement turns to heartbreak as a shocking accident befalls the colony, threatening to rob Jack of all that he loves, testing his very sanity.