Liverpool, 1924. Racing to meet her fiance in her father's new-fangled motor car, Penny Forshaw knocks over a little girl and - much to her fiance's disapproval - feels it her duty to take in six-year-old Kelly while she recovers. But little did Penny anticipate the challenges and responsibilities of looking after a child from the slums, and Kelly's miserable, poverty-stricken existence opens Penny's eyes to a world she never knew existed.

Her relationship with her fiance Arnold under strain, Penny's decision to take in young Kelly will change her life in ways she could never have expected. She wanted to give Kelly a better chance in life - but it may be Kelly who changes Penny's life for the better.