When Lydia celebrated her coming of age, the whole of her Exmoor village celebrated with her. Two men attracted her interest that night: handsome, ambitious Gus Pascoe, who coveted the land her father farmed; and Wesley Peters, brought up as a strict Methodist, whose seemingly upright religious family hid a terrible secret.

Wesley wanted only to protect and cherish Lydia, but when his sister became the scandal of the neighbourhood and was forced to marry Lydia's brother, Alan, a bitterness grew up between the two families which threatened to keep Lydia and Wesley apart forever. In despair Lydia fled to Bristol, where at last she could free herself from the tragedy and heartbreak of her past life.