Drugged and supposedly drowned by the mother who should have loved her, six-year-old Gwendoline is dredged from the Saltwick River. Poverty-stricken but rich in love, Mr. and Mrs. Paul love the tiny child as their own, until hard times and tragedy drive them to the workhouse. From this slavery, Gwendoline flees her present horror, only to run headlong into her unknown past, with consequences that tumble through the generations.

When savage family sickness, and the unscrupulous embezzling steward, Mr. Craven, steals the Boone's family fortune, he snatches Sandra Boone’s idyllic childhood from her innocent hands. The heartbroken child finds herself in a place she never thought possible – destitute and begging on the dirty, dangerous streets for her next meal. When opportunity opens the door for a life of servitude to a wealthy family, Sandra, crushed by the harshness of her unfair years, finally thinks fortune may be turning her way. Instead, a fire of controversy unfolds, forcing her to flee.

Blackwell Union Workhouse hid a secret for eight long years. Two daughters born behind the dark walls thrust into the arms of the wrong mothers - one mother the Master’s wife, the other a slave of poverty, Dora. Phoebe and Claretta, the workhouse babies, switched at birth and thrust into an uncertain future. As the years unfurl, destiny sends the young ladies in different directions, but their hearts are bound. One runs, the other seeks. One haunted by fears, the other reaching for a faith and a future. Both longing for love.

Lena Phillips has everything she could want: a father who adores her, a mother who spends hours reading to her, a nursery full of the most wonderful toys. Lena even has Sally Goodman, a doting governess. Lena is only four years old, and she's the happiest little girl in the whole wide world. As Christmas approaches, Lena grows more and more excited - unaware that a dark plot is brewing, and she will be caught in its tendrils.

Fae Carter has been hiding all her life. First, her mother keeps her hidden away from the angry, violent man who owns their home. He calls Mama his favorite secret, but Fae knows he's not her father. Fae has to hide whenever he comes because he hates her so much that he hurts her if he finds her. Mama sends Fae to go and live with her grandparents in the country.

Emily’s life in the foundling hospital is filled with fear and despair. Held to a societal expectation out of her control, she is made to feel unworthy. When old enough to leave, she secures a job as a scullery maid in a wealthy household. A chance encounter reunites her with childhood friends, including the one boy who showed her kindness years before. Marcus could hardly forget the young girl he met while doing deliveries to the hospital. Fond memories dominate his thoughts of her. Emily is beautiful and Marcus is not the only one who has taken notice.

When Becky Wade's husband dies unexpectedly, her world is turned upside down. With no means to support herself, and having discovered she is pregnant, she answers an ad in the Matrimonial Times, hoping for a fresh start for herself and her unborn child. Dr. Karl Madden wants a marriage of convenience where emotions do not come into play. He's looking for a woman to take care of his house and help him in his clinic. Having his heart broken once, Karl does not intend to open his heart to anyone again.

Olive Wickes knew a better life once. Before their old master died, her family lived in comfortable servants' quarters beside a garden where birdsong echoed through the day. But the new young master turned them out, and now Olive, her parents, and her five-year-old brother Jimmy are struggling to get by. In their cold and desolate tenement, Olive sings to Jimmy about the birds of the garden, trying to cling on to hope. 

Ten-year-old Jack Larkin has seen more than his fair share of shocking sights, growing up in the notorious Crown Saloon. Broken hearts and broken bones are just a fact of life in a Gin Palace, but for orphan Dolly, the Crown is her last hope. After the death of her mother, Dolly ran away from her sleazy stepfather, Arthur, only to find herself living on the streets. When Jack discovers her hiding in the back yard of the Crown, he persuades his mother, Nellie Larkin, to take Dolly in.

London. 1854. For years, Fern Hall has lived in an orphanage in the East End of London. It’s a brutal life of endless chores and punishments for even the smallest infractions. She’s able to escape it for a time when she’s hired out as a temporary maid to the wealthy Hawk family, but a servant’s lot is little better. Gerard Hawk, the second son of the prosperous merchant, is drawn to Fern from their very first meeting when she comes to work for his parents. 

At just nine-years-old, Briar Walker is forced out onto the cold London streets to hunt through piles of dirt and ash for things her drunken father can sell in exchange for a bottle of whiskey. Longing for the day when she can escape his wrath, Briar secretly hides away a few treasures of her own. Then, one day, Briar is cornered by the terrible Jones twins and forced to run for her life. Pulled to safety by the charming and handsome Jack Harris, Briar finds herself at the mercy of The Family; one of the most notorious pickpocket gangs in the whole of London.

The streets of Whitechapel are a savage place to grow up, especially during the terrible winter of 1895. Even before she was brought into the world, the odds were stacked against Effie Wilson. Born to two irresponsible, alcoholic parents, Effie is the eldest of five children - none of whom really stand a chance. Matters are made even worse when Effie’s parents disappear one day, never to return. Her only hope could rest in Willie Green, a sweet boy with bright hazel eyes who comes and goes from Effie’s life. If only she knew when he might appear again...

Born in the dark horrors of the Victorian Bedlam, Beth Thursday was a no one. An inconsequential inconvenience. After eight years of dreaming of an unknown mother rescuing her from the workhouse, Beth is unexpectedly liberated to become an apprentice in Mr Whitaker's tailor's shop. Against all the odds, Mrs Whitaker becomes a maternal figure to the young girl who shows all the signs of a gifted seamstress. 

The last thing Lindy Cook wants to do is leave Yorkshire behind. The countryside is the only home she’s ever known, and its splendid landscapes lift her spirits even amidst trouble, so does Titus, the bright-eyed country boy who’s always been her dear friend. Lindy’s troubles are many. Papa has gone to London for work; Mama is quite unwell, and her two little brothers constantly need to be fed and cared for. With no resources, she has no choice but to pack her little family into a stifling railway carriage headed for a whole new world - a world she doesn’t understand. 

London, 1879. When Ella's family is forced to live on the streets of London's East End, tragedy strikes, forcing Ella and her sister, Mary, into an orphanage where they endure long hours of hard work. When Ella is apprenticed to a cobbler, she's forcibly separated from her sister. The cobbler is a cruel man, using beatings to keep the workers in line. Ella's saving grace is Seth, who becomes her only friend. Then Seth divulges a shocking secret.