In many families, there is one individual who stands out among the rest; quite often it is a woman — the matriarch. How does it happen? How does one woman among many in a family come to have so much influence?

Lucille was not welcomed by her fiancé's family. Her role in this wealthy Slovenian family was almost stillborn. But love prevailed, and she eventually began her rise to prominence, eventually contributing five children.

This family saga begins before the First World War and sees the village through the Second World War. In the midst of huge upheavals, some things never change.