Abbie Martin has grown up in squalor in one of Liverpool’s most deprived areas. The youngest of three, she longs to be loved by her mother, but Ellen spends all her time with her eldest son, while Abbie and her brother, Sam, take refuge with their neighbours, Sandra Lewis and Peter Ryan. Will Abbie be able to find the security and affection she has been searching for all her life, or will she always be looking for love.. . ?