Once again Mrs Kingsley does not shy away from the highs and lows of life in the quickly changing world of the 1900s…the ageing women working to support themselves or their families, in jobs that will soon disappear...the washerwoman, butter-woman and the little dressmaker….the contrast between the socialite of Boston and the drudge in the kitchen….the old farmers and the independent, college-educated young people…and, with an acceptance of the realities of life we might think of as “modern”, the impact of an illegitimate child on the lives of its mother and her whole family. In her new role as the ministers wife, Miss Philura’s independent (dare one say rebellious?) spirit continues to blossom, while deep in her heart there is a secret longing waiting to be realised….The arrival of a mysterious new family in the village will have unexpected consequences for the lives of several people in Innesfield; fortunately the heart of Philura is big enough and brave enough to embrace it all.