The Jewel in the Crown

In 1942, the Japanese, having conquered Burma, are threatening India. At Mayapore, Hari Kumar comes under suspicion of subversion by Merrick, the District Superintendent of Police.

Daphne and Hari have been drawn closer together. After an assignation with him in the Bibighar Gardens, on a night of rioting and protest, she returns home claiming to have been raped. On flimsy evidence, Merrick arrests Hari.

Daphne dies giving birth to Hari’s daughter, and her aunt, Lady Manners, decides to raise the child herself. About to be posted to the war front, Teddie Bingham and his finance, Susan Layton, decide to bring forward their marriage.

The arrangements for Susan and Teddie’s wedding are threatened, but Merrick provides a solution. The Layton family gathers at Mirat, but what should be a happy occasion is overshadowed by unexplained incidents.

Merrick apologizes to Sarah about his presence at the wedding and explains the connections between Mirat and Mayapore where Daphne was attacked. The events of that night also trouble Lady Manners as she works to have Hari freed from jail.

Sarah tells Susan of her husband, and they learn of great bravery from an unexpected quarter. Sarah embarks on a journey to bring comfort to a wounded man, and in Calcutta, she comes face to face with the war and its pain.

While visiting Merrick in Calcutta, Sarah meets Jimmy Clark who challenges many of the values by which she lives. In Pankot, another daughter of the regiment confesses her own act of rebellion long ago.

Sarah returns to Pankot to find her sister, Susan, becoming increasingly agitated by her new baby. Merrick, too, is close to madness, but who will snap first?

Susan’s baby has been rescued from the ring of fire that nearly engulfed him. Barbie embarks on a generous mission, but is turned back by an appalling discovery.

Bombay, 1945. Guy Perron, working in intelligence with Merrick, meets Sarah, who has come to Bombay to welcome her father home.

Sarah learns to her great distress that Merrick is about to announce his engagement to Susan. She turns for help to an old friend who knows more about Merrick’s past than anyone.

Merrick, having blackmailed an orderly to gain access to Sarah’s records, is recalled to Delhi at the end of the war.

In 1947, Guy returns to India on the eve of independence to observe the last days of British rule. He discovers that Merrick had married Susan, but was subsequently killed. Suspicious, he investigates.

Guy discovers the horrific details of Merrick’s death.