It is 1940 and recently bereaved Meg Blundell is planning a future without her delightful Ma. But before Meg can take her first steps into the unknown alone, she must look to her past. Why, she wonders, did her mother wear a wedding ring but never marry? Why, for instance, does the tally man never call at No 3 Tippet's Yard to collect any rent? He does everywhere else. With Ma gone, Meg must go back to her roots to uncover her "family tree". However, the process of simplifying her life leads to unforeseen complications. But there's always Kip, reliable and loving, to pick up the pieces of her unsolved life and love.