Publisher's Synopsis
1932. Gabriel Sargent is from a family of miners. Depravation and poverty, to the point of starvation, are as well know to him as the workings of the local pit. And the suicide of his father and loss of his job look set to increase his suffering. The only glimmer of hope in his life is provided by an entirely unexpected source: the Priorton Settlement. At the Settlement, a German woman, Rosel Smidt, encourages Gabriel to paint. In Rosel and art Gabriel finds the hope of a very different existence, and he begins to fall in love with Rosel. But can he ever hope to cross the gulf between them? To Gabriel, Rosel is educated and refined, and he can offer nothing except for his love and protection. But, with the approach of the Second World War, it is Rosel's nationality that will surely drive them apart forever...
