She was given a second chance - but at what cost? The powerful story of love and loss from the multi-million copy bestselling author.

In 1937, fourteen-year-old Lizzie Gillespie is rescued from a desperate future by Geoff Fulton, a soldier who refuses to turn his back on her. He brings Lizzie into his family home, where she becomes a companion to his ailing mother, and is offered a chance of security she has never known.

Under the Fulton roof, Lizzie flourishes. Educated and cared for, she grows into a confident young woman, loyal to the family who saved her and grateful for the life she has been given.

But the war changes everything. When Geoff returns home hardened and embittered, the man Lizzie once trusted is gone and the fragile balance of the household begins to fracture. As old loyalties are tested, Lizzie is forced to confront a painful truth: to claim the future she truly wants, will she really risk bringing shame upon the family who gave her everything?

‘Catherine Cookson soars above her rivals’ Mail on Sunday

‘The queen of raw family romances’ Telegraph

‘Her characters have the grit of real life’ Sunday Times