As a poverty-stricken miner's daughter growing up in the small village of Annsdale, near Durham, fifteen-year-old Ginny Wilde yearns for adventure. But she gets more than she bargained for when her dark good looks, fiery spirit and beautiful singing voice catch the eye of the unscrupulous Charlie Parkinson, her employer's brother. Fleeing the wrath of her irate father when he discovers his daughter's flirtation with the notorious womaniser, Ginny heads for London, where Charlie seduces her and puts her to work on the stage as a music hall artiste. As she embarks on a hugely successful singing career, Ginny remains unhappy at Charlie's continual refusal to marry her and descends into an increasingly louche lifestyle. Can she ever find the courage to leave Charlie and return to her beloved north east? And will she ever be able to recapture the heart of her one true love, miner Martin Jude?