After a tragic miscarriage, Beth Tresaile returns to Owles House, the place of her miserable childhood, accompanied by her best friend, Kitty Copeland. Beth feels she can no longer go on unless she gets revenge on her estranged mother, Christina, who neglected her and finally abandoned her on a cold winter's night. But there are many shocks - and joys - in store for Beth, as she learns the truth of the past, and there are fresh troubles on the horizon when her married lover, Kitty's brother, wants her back . . .