Columbella

Jessica Abbott arrives at Hampden House, perched on a cliff in the Virgin Islands, hoping to leave a troubled past behind. Instead she runs into Catherine Drew, a woman who seems to exist only to make life miserable for others. Catherine is married to Kingdon Drew, a forceful and energetic man, and Jessica finds herself strongly drawn to him.

Catherine, who prefers to be called by the name of a sea shell, Columbella, is spoiled, indulgent and cruel. Jessica must stand up to her, protect the future of another woman's child, and above all help the man she loves get out of a trap Catherine has laid for him. Each day Catherine appears to humiliate Jessica in some new way and come out on top. The tension builds toward one particular night.

Brilliant island sunshine lights up Hampden House on St. Thomas and Caprice, a plantation on St. Croix that is falling into a haunting ruin and is watched over by its unicorns. A hurricane threatens the exotic setting throughout, and the past keeps reaching into the present.