Jenny Graham leaves her home in Hull and applies for work as a kitchen maid at the home of the Ingram family in the East Yorkshire town of Beverley. Here, she meets and falls in love with Christy, the only son of the family, whose parents have high hopes of him marrying well in order to save their own impoverished livelihood. Christy wants them to run away together, and hatches a secret, dangerous plan which goes tragically wrong and leaves Jenny on a charge of murder. Many difficulties confront Jenny before she can return to the place where once she was happy and where she can at last make her peace.