Doe is a happy and precocious little girl, loved by her parents, Emily and Jim. Life is hard for working-class families in 1950s Manchester. Seeking a way out, Jim organises a raid on a Jewellers, only to be caught and sent to prison.
It is an event with devastating consequences, for when Jim returns, he discovers that Emily has found solace in the arms of another. In the recriminations that follow, Doe finds herself abandoned; her life turned upside down.
Just twelve years old, is it possible for Doe to survive? Can she escape the clutches of the Children's Home, an institution she has good reason to fear? Will her indomitable spirit enable her to survive against the odds?