In September 1847 coloured squares of paper were stuck to envelopes and used to send out admission cards to a fancy-dress ball on the tropical island of Mauritius. No-one at the party would have guessed that the envelopes bearing these stamps would one day be worth more than a million dollars. When a two pence 'Blue Mauritius' surfaced on the fledgling French stamp-collecting market in 1865 it gained instant celebrity. Then in 1903, when a perfect specimen, discovered in a childhood album, was bought at auction by the Prince of Wales, the Blue Mauritius gained super-star status. Even now, the stamps of 'Post Office Mauritius' remain synonymous with fame, wealth and mystery. Helen Morgan tells the fascinating story of the most coveted scraps of paper in existence, from Mauritius' Port Louis to Bordeaux, India and Great Britain, Switzerland and Japan, into the fantasies and imagination of stamp collectors everywhere.

Out of the blue, a letter arrives informing Frankie that she has inherited her unknown grandmotheras farm in Italy. To the Sullivan family, Italy seems as far away as Mars. Blue Mauritius is the story of a family who leaves the comfort and security of their American suburb to start over again on this abandoned farm. At the heart of Blue Mauritius is a mystery involving Frankieas grandparents. Not only a mystery, but an ugly smear on the family name. Immediately it becomes Frankieas responsibility to unravel the mystery and absolve her familyas reputation of shame. Digging into the lives of the villagers, for the first time Frankieas own life becomes understandable through circles that return her to the place where understanding was lostaforbidden love, the sins of the mother, runaway husband, suicide, child needs mother. In Italy, those same circles seem to be closing in on the Sullivans now.