As the Depression hits N.E. England, Hannah Casey's life is turned upside down. Since her father's death, Hannah and her mother Miriam have lived with her aunt and uncle. Aunt Aggie has been bedridden for years and Miriam is now mistress of the house. But as Hannah's beauty develops, she catches her uncle's roaming eye. Escaping to her friend Naomi's house whenever she can, she begins to court Naomi's handsome brother. But when she finally flees from home, it is the taciturn Jake, Naomi's older half-brother, who shines through as her protector.