Birmingham, 1858: Dora, a spirited young maid with a vivid imagination, finds solace in the library of the esteemed family she works for. But when a forbidden love leads to a secret that could ruin her, Dora has no choice but to leave the only place that has ever offered her security and kindness. Alone in Birmingham’s teeming industrial streets, Dora reinvents herself as a washerwoman – each stitch and scrub testament to her fierce determination to protect her daughter, Rose. But, snatching any free moment in her exhausting days, Dora begins to write her own stories, dreaming that one day, she will see her words in print. As fate reunites Dora with long-lost family, she must face fresh challenges and personal heartache. Can this woman, armed with grit, love, and a pen, defy her past and write her own destiny?