Lancashire, 1931. When Finn Carlisle loses his wife and unborn child, he spends a few years travelling to keep the sad memories at bay. Just as hes ready to settle down again, his great-uncle dies and leaves him Heythorpe House in Ellindale. Finn finds a village of people in dire need of jobs, a house that hasnt been lived in for 30 years and Reggie, an eleven-year-old whos run away from the nearby orphanage and its brutal Director Buddle. But Buddle will stop at nothing to get Reggie back in his cruel grasp. Finns new neighbours help him save Reggie but other surprises throw his new plans into turmoil.