Based on Catherine Cookson's best-selling novel of murder, passion and betrayed friendships, this sweeping drama spans forty years during the second half of the 19th century.

Roddy Greenback arrives in a remote Northumberland community. His father meets a violent death, leaving the boy alone with no family to speak of. The young Roddy is adopted and raised by Kate Makepeace, a good friend of his father, and develops a close friendship with Hal and Mary Ellen but their sibling bond is put to the test as they become adults. The hidden secrets of the past are painfully unearthed as their lives continue to be intertwined by a tragic destiny.