Polly Turnbull grows up looking forward to a settled future in the vibrant market town of Derby, but when she chooses to follow her heart, rather than the expectations of her family her life changes forever. She comes into conflict with the prejudices of her time and class, and is forced to rebuild her life in the shadow of the Strutt families' great cotton mill, in Belper. Polly's story unfolds against the background of social, economic and political changes in 19th century Derbyshire, and when Derby erupts into the violence of the Reform Bill riots, Polly faces her most difficult decision yet. Set in the Derwent Valley, the mills in this story are rightly part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.