''Dad, it''s the happiest day of my life,'' Kate said. ''I wish time would stand still and it could be today forever.'' It''s June 1897, and Kate is celebrating her eleventh birthday on the day of Queen Victoria''s Diamond Jubilee. Kate''s joy is short-lived, as tragedy strikes, threatening her family with the loss of all they hold dear. Before long they are evicted from their home in Ancoats, Manchester, and with no wages coming in and a mother unable to cope, Kate has to grow up fast. Her deepest desire is to keep her brothers and sisters together. A journey of hope and heartache takes Kate from the hardships of the workhouse to the dubious comforts of a position in service to the rich; from the joys of marriage to a good man, to the sorrows and losses suffered during the Great War.