Set at the turn of the century (1890s - 1900s) in the East End of London it's about a baker, Arthur, who marries the naive 18-year-old Ellen after her parents were killed in a fire. Agnes, who has helped in the bakery for many years, is jealous of Ellen because she's in love with Arthur herself. She is more angry when she learns Arthur plans to sack her as Micky, a boy Ellen has befriended, can do her job more cheaply and better. She decides to get her revenge by getting Micky caught stealing. Micky is thrown in prison and worries about his eight-year-old sister, Molly, who is on her own (they ran away from a workhouse) and, indeed, Molly goes missing. Agnes regrets her actions and she and Ellen search high and low for Molly. The other strand of the story is Ellen's attraction for a lad of her own age and she's torn between duty to her kind, if seemingly elderly husband and this young attractive lively lad.