Set in the 1600's during 'The Plague' and 'The Great Fire of London,' this is the story of a young Kentish Maid, who is taken to London by her husband.
Sadly, when they arrive in London, she soon realises, that London is not the paradise Frank has promised her. Instead, she finds a city filled with poverty, filth and debauchery.
Made worse by the fact, that her husband takes immense pleasure in physically and mentally abusing her; and her only respite form the abuse, is when he goes to sea.
Thankfully, a few days into their marriage, Frank does return to sea, but he leaves her destitute; and fearing that she will starve, she has to scour the dirty streets of London looking for work.
Fortunately, she finds work in a Bakehouse in Pudding lane, working for a Mr Farynor; selling his bread and pies on the streets of London.
The work is hard, and Frank's beatings and the hardship she suffers on a daily basis, starts to take its toll, and she escapes to Kent, only to find, that her father has lost the farm. Having nowhere to go, (because she'd promised her mother she would look after him) she is forced to take him back to London. Back to Frank!.
Then, while delivering bread up at the Newington House, she meets a young gentleman named Ashton. When they converse, she finds solace in the fact that he treats her as an equal, and for the first time in a long while, she feels she has a future.
Despite her life of misery, Mary still dreams of going back to Kent, but before she can do that, she has many obstacles to overcome, man made as well as natural.
Will she survive the Plague and the Great Fire of London unscathed?
With the fear of being disinherited weighing heavily on his mind, will Ashton act on his feeling.
Or, will a chance meeting with Richard, a man of means, allow her to follow her dreams?
Most of all, will Mary find the strength she needs to pull herself out of poverty and escape Frank, or will she flounder in the cesspit that is London.
