"Abbas is just seventeen years old when he leaves his family to serve in the court of Tipu Sultan, a volatile and unpredictable ruler. An inspired woodcarver, Abbas is apprenticed to a master toy maker in order to build a massive tiger automaton, a gift to celebrate the return of the Sultan's sons from British captivity. Working alongside the legendary French clockmaker Monsieur du Leze, Abbas hones his craft and learns to read French and then meets...

"Delhi, 1795. John Beecham, a former soldier in the East India Company, is determined to leave the past behind him and start a new life. When he arrives at the grand house, the staff are shocked to discover that their secretive new master has arrived with his infant son August, a baby of mixed parentage. John is determined to reunite his family in Delhi and keep the identity of his child secret, but at what cost to himself and those he loves?"--