Olivia Copley is a feral child who has been starved of affection, but it is Miss Trent, her new governess, who has known real hunger and hardship. Meanwhile Hesley Mexton is committed to saving his failing coal mine and safeguarding his grandson's future at any cost. As Olivia matures it seems that even her friends are conspiring to rob her of happiness. But they underestimate her courage and her determination to fight for what she wants. This gripping story follows the misfortunes of two women as they endeavor to escape the lives forced up on them in the harsh environs of 19th-century Yorkshire.
