Liverpool, 1861. When Annie Shaw starts work at the cotton mill she's shocked to witness young children working long days around dangerous machinery - and soon finds herself caring for three young orphans. In order to face a turbulent future, Annie needs to first dig into the secrets buried in the past.
Liverpool, 1848. When Meg's struggling family realise they can't feed all the children, Meg volunteers to go to the workhouse for one season, and she'll take her little sister, Rosie, with her. But Meg and Rosie are separated as soon as they enter the workhouse...
Liverpool, 1847. At seventeen, Delilah Shaw is the eldest of the eight Shaw siblings, and the one who must take charge when her mother and brother die in a tragic manner, and her father is left disabled in an accident at the docks. But can she save her family when they need her the most?