At sixteen, Rachel O'Brian finds herself alone in the world and accepts a home with an old friend of her father's, but she is unprepared for his wife's malice and cannot guess at the secret which feeds the woman's hatred.
The younger Maxwells welcome Rachel to their Ayrshire farm, especially Ross, but he too has earned Gertrude Maxwell's spite. When Ross disappears Rachel is dismayed to find herself destitute and expecting his child. Not until past secrets are revealed can the two find each other again.
