All they have left is each other Life has always been tough for May & Gus Lavender Their father went away to sea never to return & then their mother falls victim to the typhus sweeping through Liverpool Regarded as orphans by the authorities May & Gus are sent to the Brownlow Hill Workhouse Like all workhouses Brownlow is the last resort for the poor & the destitute May & Gus will have to rely on each other more than ever if they are to survive the hardships to come