'The two girls sat in the back of the car, their destination unknown and their crimes worse than murder.'

In November 1979, Ailbe and Maire disappear from their rural village in Ireland, never to return. Pregnant out of wedlock, they are now outcasts from society.

Believing they will at least have each other, the girls are devastated when Ailbe is dumped at the gates of a place known only as 'Bessborough', whilst Maire is forced to continue on to Dublin, to be cared for by the relatives of her married lover.

What follows is an enduring tale of family, love, friendship, secrecy, self-sacrifice and the extraordinary endurance of women in the most appalling of circumstances.