1920s. Life changes dramatically for fourteen-year-old Ellie Crawford when her widowed father drowns in the Forth and Clyde canal and she's taken into service with the Forsyths. It feels like imprisonment after her carefree childhood spent playing by the canals. Her two consolations are her friendship with the Forsyths' son, Evander, and her dream of becoming a chef. But, as Ellie and Evander grow older, their innocent friendship is misunderstood. Ellie is dismissed, cast out without money or protection, and it seems hard to believe she'll survive the tough times ahead.