1800. London. Margaret Anne Bulkley desperately wants to be a surgeon - but only men can train as doctors. Fifty years later, Dr James Barry is famous, serving as Inspector General of Hospitals throughout the British Empire.

A brilliant surgeon, bold reformer and prickly individual known for his fierce temper, he fought a duel in South Africa and clashed with Florence Nightingale in the Crimea. But Dr Barry has a secret that he is determined no one should ever learn...