Liverpool, 1863, and Maud Linklater's life as a housemaid changes forever the day she takes little chimney sweep Alfie, to the hospital. Helping to care for him on the ward, Maud is unexpectedly offered the opportunity to train in the newly opened Nursing School run by Ada Houston.
Maud instantly befriends the sweet, loving Alice and chatterbox Edie, though it soon becomes clear Alice is troubled by a secret. But across the hall is the manipulative Nancy, who seems to get away with murder both on and off the ward.
Maud throws herself into the nursing, showing a particular talent for surgery, and continues to nurture the bond she has forged with young Alfie. But when Alfie goes missing, there is only one person she thinks can help find him, and that is Harry, the man whose affections she's been fending off for months.
Can Harry find Alfie before it is too late? And will Maud and her friends manage to qualify despite everything that has been thrown at them?