Kate McGlory longs to be loved. Her seven younger brothers are cherished by their doting mother Lena, but Kate tends to be forgotten. Then Kate catches the eye of Jack Courtney and at last she too is adored. But their courtship is not straightforward. Jack comes from a family of wealthy shipowners in Merseyside, who may not approve of the match; Lena is terrified that history will repeat itself if her daughter falls in love with a man above her station; and, worst of all, Jack has not been entirely honest with Kate from the start...