It is 1902. Emily is 16 years of age and blissfully in love with John, two years her senior. Secretly, they are planning a life together. But then they are driven violently apart.

Denied the man she loves, and dominated by a brutally possessive uncle, Emily is devastated when she is cruelly taken advantage of. When a child is born, her life is in tatters. She cannot reveal the identity of the father to anyone, or there will be a terrible price to pay.

Trapped and ashamed, she seeks solace in her daughter, Cathleen, but there is little consolation. As time passes, and still there is no sign of the man she loves, Emily resigns herself to the fact that he may never return, and her life begins to take another direction. However, John is never far from her mind. Is her love still waiting for her?

When history threatens to repeat itself, and the father of her child once again preys on her, Emily feels she must put all thoughts of John aside and find a way to safeguard her daughter.