October 1853. Sally must do all it takes to escape her husband and protect her child – whatever the cost.
Spring Row, a dismal row of cottages nestled in the heart of Bolton in Lancashire, has been Sally's prison since being forced to move there from the workhouse as a young girl. That was when Joseph Goden selected her as his wife. A drunkard and bully, Joseph rules his wife with a rod of iron, using threats and fists to keep her in check.
When Sally goes into labour, Joseph's actions spark a series of unexpected events, enabling Sally to escape him at last. But she must strive to overcome these changes if she and her child are to stay together – and survive.
After hearing that Joseph is threatening to claim their son out of revenge, Sally must flee Spring Row in search of her only living relative and forge a new life for herself and her son amidst the squalor and belching chimneys of Victorian Manchester. With the constant threat of being discovered by Joseph, who will stop at nothing to find her, Sally must fight with every ounce of strength and wit she has to protect herself and her son, and finally be with the man who truly loves her....