Abigail Cookson, daughter of the town drunk, whose mother disappeared when she was only seven, struggles to rise above the gossip and her father's abuse. When she falls in love with handsome sailor Joe, she thinks her life has taken a turn for the better. Her job in a local department store and friendship with fellow employee Daisy set the seal on this new phase of her life. But Joe is off to sea and Abby's employer, a pillar of the local chapel, turns out to be not so respectable as she thought.

Abby vows to stay true to Joe, his letters her only consolation while he is away at sea. But then she discovers she is pregnant – and Joe is not the father. It seems things can't get any worse. The start of World War Two gives her the chance to get away from her home town and she joins the Women's Land Army. But can she keep her past a secret and will she ever forget Joe? Abby has to endure more complications in her life before these questions are