Maggie May, born into the slums of Liverpool in the 1880s, had many difficulties to cope with - a drunken father, the early death of her gentle mother, and the grinding poverty of their lives. But most of all, she had to endure the shame of her name - that of the city's most notorious prostitute. Taking care of her younger brother and desperately trying to live down her name, Maggie manages to escape from Liverpool to enjoy an idyllic new life. But fate forces her back again and into the arms of a stranger who is to bring her both heartbreak and the greatest happiness she will ever know.