East Kent 1876. With doting parents and siblings she adores 16-year-old Rose Cheevers leads a contented life at Willow Place in Canterbury. A bright future ahead of her she dreams of following in her mother’s footsteps and becoming a teacher. Then one traumatic day turns the Cheevers’ household upside down. What was once a safe haven has become a place of peril and Rose is forced to flee with the younger children. Desperate she seeks refuge in a remote village with a long lost grandmother who did not know she existed. But safety comes at a price and the arrival of a young stranger with connections to her past raises uncomfortable questions about what the future holds.