Forbidden to walk because of his illness, Charles Fergusson is growing up a spoiled sickly child. He dreams of becoming a plant hunter, and of finding the fabled Blue Poppy which grew in his grandmother's garden in Sikkim, but it seems that he will be trapped forever in the dark house in the Cumbrian fells.
That is until the feisty, disrespectful Betty comes back to work as a servant at Bambeck Hall. This fiery red-haired girl will turn Charles's world upside down, forcing him to break away from his stultifying prison. But Charles and Betty have a secret history unknown to either of them.
Charles's journey will lead him to the great Himalayas, but will he find the Blue Poppy and discover his true destiny?