A feared local justice, Crowther curses his niece’s return and sets out to destroy her anew, whilst also hounding Molly, her lost daughter. Born to a life of crime and poverty and deserted by her husband, Molly tries desperately to keep her three children fed and clothed. When Emma starts looking for her, Molly wrongly fears that it is Crowther searching her out, and she and her children run away to become vagabonds.
Contending with hunger, exhaustion and the unwelcome attentions of the men who are drawn to Molly’s dark beauty, her life is at times almost unbearable. But Molly has inherited Emma’s indomitable spirit . . .