Jessica Hart's beloved mother has died in childbirth and her stepmother and father are forcing her to marry the dull local blacksmith. She runs away from her country home to Birmingham, arriving late one night on the doorstep of her poverty-stricken aunt's tiny terraced house, already home to her four cousins. Ned, a family friend, comes calling one day and he and Jessica fall for each other immediately. But Ned is married and his young wife is expecting a baby...Annie Murray's uplifting saga set during the Great War is a moving story of love, remembrance and ultimately of healing. Full of warmth and domestic detail which inspires the reader. Annie Murray brings her characters vividly to life. - Denise Robertson.