A regency romance, set in 1816. Eleanor Young, eldest of a Rector's large family, once loved and lost. Nine years later, at 27, she is a teacher and governess and a confirmed spinster. She also cares deeply about the growing class of industrial poor in a society still ruled by the privileged few, who show little concern for their welfare. Galvanised into action by the tragic death of a young mill girl, she confronts the Earl of Somerton, the man she believes responsible. Unknown to her, the widowed earl has a child of the same age and is looking for a new governess to remove the girl from the undue influence of her grandmother. Circumstances force Eleanor to accept the post, and the battle lines are set.