Born into squalor, young Susan Lucket is determined to raise herself from her humble origins. Sent to the village school and later taught midwifery, her intuitive skill at assisting women in childbirth leads to demands on her services and as an independent and unmarried midwife she is far ahead of her time. Yet when privileged Edward Calthorpe, offers her marriage, the memory of her degraded childhood returns to haunt her: and the seduction and betrayal of her younger sister by Edward's brother causes deep divisions between her and his family.