In her fourteen years of life, Ann Fielding has already endured many challenges. Orphaned at age three, Ann and her brother, John, have been residing with their Uncle Jim, separated long ago from two older sisters who went to live with another uncle.

One day after she quizzes her uncle about her past, Ann takes John to explore and reclaim their former childhood home. Eventually with their uncle's blessing, they begin living independently. While Ann spins cotton thread in a mill in the English town of Oldham to support them, the Industrial Revolution arises. As the steam engine provides power for the mills and increases the demand for coal, the mill town produces more cotton cloth than anywhere else in the world. While Ann attempts to find her way in a grown-up world, she develops intimate and delicate relationships that fuel her determined journey to make something of her life. But as Ann is about to discover, sometimes life does not happen as planned.

In this story based on true events, a young woman must learn to rely on inner-strength and perseverance to survive and succeed during England's Industrial Revolution era.