After her father's mysterious death at the San Francisco Golf Club, Katherine McMasters returns to San Francisco to inherit his steam ship line. With the guidance of her cousin Albert and her eccentric great Aunt Louisa, Katherine falls in love with the city of her birth. The San Francisco of 1953 seems to open its Golden Gate to this beautiful and enchanting young heiress. But like the fog that often engulfs the city, Katherine's life becomes engulfed by dark forces. And her life becomes more complicated by her relationship with her family and a love she can not deny. On a journey of self discovery Katherine must navigate through San Francisco's high society, the perils of the waterfront, the Bohemians of North Beach and the intrigues of her board of directors. Yet Katherine's most difficult challenge is to unravel family secrets that overshadow her. Vulnerable at first, yet possessed of an inner strength, she must come to terms with a past shrouded in mystery.