A dramatic and heartwarming Victorian saga, perfect for fans of Maggie Hope and Anne Bennett.

Will she find love again?

Ironbridge, 1893. When eighteen-year-old Maria Keay is offered an exciting job in a department store in Shrewsbury, she is keen to spread her wings and leave her hometown behind, including her childhood sweetheart Charlie Woodvine, the local schoolteacher.

She loves her new job in Shrewsbury and it's not long before she falls head-over-heels for the enigmatic and charming German chemistry student Oskar.

But as the exhausting work and exploitation of shopgirls becomes her everyday life, Maria must decide if moving away from home - and Charlie - was the right decision, especially when her relationship with Oskar takes a dark and devastating turn . . .