John King, best-selling author of The Football Factory, chronicles the struggle between rich and poor in this strong defence of socialised medicine. Ruby James lives life to the full, the state-run hospital where she works as a nurse a microcosm of the community in which she was born and bred. While some outsiders might label the people of this town 'white trash', she knows different, revelling in a vibrant society that values people over money, actions above words. The epitome of positive thinking, Ruby sees the best in everyone - until the day true evil arrives