Bella Ford, aged 19 and inexperienced, is seduced by an older, married man and becomes pregnant. Jilted by her unscrupulous lover, Bella plans revenge and journeys to the place he told her he was from— a lie— and loses the baby during the journey. She is taken in by a family of shoemakers who help her restore her faith in living— until a crisis of extreme tragedy puts her to the highest test.

This brooding, suspenseful story of sensuality and vengeance— set amid the fields and villages of 19th century England— is narrated by Embeth Davidtz, star of the Merchant-Ivory film adaptation of the acclaimed novel.