Publisher's Synopsis
Born into the squalor of the Ash-Pits, young Susan Lucket is determined to raise herself above the poverty of her childhood. So, discovering she has a natural talent as a midwife, she seizes her chance to try for a better life. When Edward Calthorpe, son of a privileged landowner, offers her marriage, the memory of her terrible childhood returns to haunt her, and when Edward's wayward younger brother seduces and betrays Polly, her beloved younger sister. Susan, faces losing everything she has struggled for.