On her deathbed Lucy's mother tells her the secret she has kept hidden from her rough, seafaring husband: Lucy is the love child of a gentleman naval officer. Struggling to keep her siblings in clothes and food and to keep her alleged father's drinking and gambling at bay Lucy seeks work in the Buchanan house, which she visited as a child. And where she first met the shipbuilder's deceitful son and his orphaned nephew. The boys have both grown into handsome young men. And Lucy finds it hard to distinguish the motives behind their attentions. Torn between commitment and desire, Lucy also finds that misfortune, misunderstanding and missed opportunity will conspire to keep her away from her true love - her one real friend. 'Colourful . . . authentic . . . in the bestselling tradition of Catherine Cookson.' Middlesbrough Evening Gazette