'I had just turned fifteen when I stole my first baby'. Juliana Rodriguez is being raised to be a lady by her legal guardians Richard and Catherine Worledge. But both her name and the strawberry birthmark Catherine insists she keeps covered reveal the truth about her parentage. Even Juliana has heard the gossip about her: that the mark was put there by the devil, that she's a witch, the bastard child of a notorious brigand, hanged for his crimes. Juliana yearns to know more about her past but the truth proves elusive. Then, on the eve of her fifteenth birthday, she discovers a tiny baby in the scullery, another illegitimate child who she learns is destined for the haphazard care of a supposed wet-nurse who - for an additional fee - will ensure that death is practically assured. It seems that Catherine is the go-between, using her part in this illicit business as a way of ingratiating herself further into society. It is then that Juliana decides to take the first step on a dangerous path: she steals her first child...