Charlotte is born, motherless and into a life of tragedy and adventure. She is brought up by her uncaring aunt and uncle, inherits her grandmother's Parisian mansion in Avenue Foch, along with a priceless set of paintings - the Barrett Collection.
In her teens, Charlotte grows into a beautiful young woman. However, she is caught up in the invasion of Paris by the Nazis, and the occupation of her mansion by the SS. She meets a Turkish prostitute, Madam Theodora, and falls in love with a handsome SS officer, Jost Krupp.
Underlying all is Charlotte's traitorous uncle, Sir Jason Barrett, a senior British diplomat in Paris, who is head of a secret espionage organisation called WASP.