Set during the General Strike, this powerful novel centres upon the hopes and aspirations of the Fury family who have struggled all their lives against tremendous social and financial pressures. Fanny Fury, a kindly but possessive woman, has pinned all her hopes on her youngest son, Peter, who is training for the priesthood. Now, seven years later, and in disgrace, he comes back to face her pain and rage. When her other son returns, crippled in an accident at sea, the resentments and bitterness that the Furys have suffered, as individuals, and as a family over the years, come to the surface and threaten to overwhelm them.