A natural, with a great sense of place -- Beryl Kingston London, 1918: Patsy Kent is only thirteen years old when her dear mother dies and leaves her an orphan. As she becomes a young woman and starts work in the local market like her mother before her, Patsy discovers all too soon the pain of first love, when cruel Johnny Jackson plays with her emotions and then casts their marriage thoughtlessly aside.Fortune smiles on Patsy when a real, deep love grows between her and the shy, thoughtful Eddie Owen. But the pointed fingers of the gossips, and the shame of living in adultery may prove too high a price for Patsy to pay, and it seems her only hope for happiness is to leave London and the very community she has come to call her family. . .