A chilling depiction of revenge and the forces of evil.

At once, she knew who had burned the baby...

Shelley, mother of various children by different fathers, loves all her kids with a fierce passion. But Joey, her eldest, has always been a bit of a problem. She has defended him when the school complains about his behaviour; made excuses for him when he has been rude or bullying or seemingly out of control. But an eight-week old baby in a pram, set alight by some rowdy youths -- surely her Joey couldn't be involved in that? When the police arrive and take him away to be questioned, she has to endure the primitive hostility of a neighbourhood outraged by the death of an innocent little child.

Shelley has to take her other children to a place of safety, and the authorities put her in touch with the Boltons, a kindly farming couple who take in problem families and work miracles on them. On their Dartmoor farm Shelley and her kids find a refuge -- fresh air, wholesome food, and a discipline which they have never known before. The children seem calmer, happier. But many families have come to the Boltons' farm, and not all of them have left it...