About the Book: Set in 18th‑century England, the story weaves together the lives of orphans, aristocrats and criminals in the shadow of the Foundling Hospital. Two children — Toby, rescued from a slave‑ship, and Aaron, the deserted son of an estate‑holder — find their fates intertwined through a dark trafficking ring run by corrupt “Coram men” exploiting desperate mothers. Meanwhile, Alexander Ashbrook, who is disinherited for pursuing music instead of his family duty, becomes connected to the same web of guilt and redemption.