Forced first into a harsh life of servitude under the philandering lord Hazelhurst and later to the clutches of the lawyer, Mr. Quigley, Demelza knows she must escape before her virtue is compromised. Only her growing love for Nathaniel, the young master of Hazelhurst Grange, gives her strength to carry on, but when clues point to Mr. Quigley's involvement in her father's death, she is thrust out of the house. In the heartbreaking years that follow the determined Demelza refuses to give up hope. Will she discover the real story behind her father's death? Can she ever find the family she longs for? Will Nathaniel remember her? And is her uncle Jorkins, lately returned from India, only looking for trouble?