What would you do if you were stranded on a boat with 39 fellow passengers from a shipwreck and then convicted of murder after being rescued? Grace Winter is only twenty-two, both newly married and then quickly widowed, when the ship Empress Alexandria sinks with her husband...

In a quiet town of Britain, Louisa Clark is twenty-six and has just found out that she is out of a job.  She still lives with her parents, as she is the main person who is supposed to support them.  Finding a new job is quite vital but her skills and qualifications are close to nil.  In the household, Lou must sacrifice her bigger room to her younger sister, Treena because she went ahead and got knocked up and now needs the room for both her and her son.

I have not read a heart-wrenching, dramatic novel such as this one in a long time.
 The power of a parent’s love is clear and it is strongly felt, even if you have never had children.  The time period of the novel matches the plot perfectly, providing a somber backdrop to the story, which is set in Australia (1920s).

No loving mother would want to see her children in a difficult situation or having a condition that was detrimental to their quality of life.
Olivia is faced with grief every day from her autistic boy's death and wonders what his purpose in life was if he spent it on earth with a disability - only to pass away at an early age.
She wants to know why he existed at all, since he caused so much pain in her heart and tore apart her marriage with her now ex-husband, David.  The answers do not come quick enough (despite trying to consult the town priest), but they do come eventually.