From an early age, Archie Delamore wonders why his father treats him with such scorn, and what the secret was behind his mother's death. Archie turns to his Grandfather Henderson for affection and accompanies him to his mines. But as he grows into early manhood, his stepmother, Patricia Delamore, seduces him and gives him his first lessons in love-making, then cruelly reveal part of the truth. When his grandfather passes, Archie's left the mines and all the responsibilities that go with ownership. Longing for warmth and true love, he marries, but once his wife has had two sons, she refuses to share her bed with him. Archie's drawn to the young nursemaid, Laura Coleman, and they fall deeply in love. Will Archie ever find out the truth about his mother's tangled past? And will he ever find true happiness with Laura?