When thirteen-year-old Nellie McCann leaves home to enter service at the house of Mrs Mac, little does she know that her life will change for ever. Yet leaving the small town of Wrekenton is far easier than she ever thought.

From the early years of the twentieth century, Nellie's life progresses through the trials and tribulations of a rapidly changing world. Experiencing two world wars, heartbreak, marriage, birth and death, her dream remains the same: to live in peace with her beloved family.