Cathie Kinrade’s life begins in hardship. Growing up on the Isle of Man in the 1930s, she sees her father (and brothers) going out to sea each day, risking their lives, while her mother struggles to keep the family afloat.

Desperate for a chance at a better life, Cathie leaves the Isle of Man for Liverpool, seeking opportunity and change. She finds work as a shop girl in a grand department store (Lewis’s) and forms a friendship with Julia, a kind‑hearted coworker.

But life in Liverpool, even with the promise of a fresh start, isn’t without its challenges. Cathie faces financial pressures (“tighten her purse strings”) and the arrival of an explosive secret puts her new life in danger.

Meanwhile, love finds its way into Cathie’s life—but with it come fears: will she trust the wrong man? Will the emotional risks outweigh the potential happiness? And with tragedy striking back home, her already turbulent life is thrown into more turmoil.