Born into the squalor of the notorious Ash-Pits, young Susan Lucket is determined to raise herself from her humble origins. Sent to the village school by a discerning patroness and later taught by one of the new 'man-midwives', her intuitive skill at assisting women in childbirth leads to demands for her services from gentlewomen as well as poor cottager's wives and as an independent and unmarried midwife she is far ahead of her time. Yet when Edward Calthorpe, youngest son of the privileged landowner of Bever House, offers her marriage, the memory of her degraded childhood returns to haunt her: and the seduction and betrayal of her beloved younger sister, Polly, by Edward's wayward brother causes deep divisions between her and his family. As Susan discovers that all women share the pain and peril of childhood, whether in a manor house or a hovel she fights for her own right to life and happiness...