Gilding the Lily

Lily and Sarah Brown's childhood is an unhappy one. Sarah escapes by marrying Ralph Turner a Sunderland dock worker but Lily doesn't trust Ralph - a dark volatile man with a hidden cruel streak. When he tries to seduce Lily on his wedding day her worst fears are confirmed.

Ralph's younger brother John is cut from a different cloth though and Lily is increasingly drawn to him. But just when Lily sees a future for them a terrible incident destroys her happiness. Heartbroken Lily agrees to accompany the family she works for as a nursemaid to New York. As Lily boards RMS Titanic little does she realise that her decision will change the course of her life for ever...