Seven year old Cora, recovering from a serious illness in hospital, has a secret visit from her mother. Biddy manages to pass her daughter a gift, a gingerbread man, which Cora is to always treasure. When Biddy dies, Cora and her little sister are lovingly cared for by Eliza, their mother's great friend. Cora's feckless father, whom she hardly knows, is unaware of the tragedy.Just before WW2, with the children secure and enjoying a good life with Eliza, their father unexpectedly reappears wishing to make amends.Then as Cora grows up, she is irresistibly drawn to a man very much like her father. Will fate repeat itself?