Unable to cope with raising his children alone Robert Sullivan abandons them to others until he has a change of heart & decides to go back for them. But on the way there he is involved in a horrific accident. Jack & Nancy are placed in the brutal regime of the Galloway Children's Home where Jack's devotion to his sister & fiery temper land him in more trouble. The children find themselves at the mercy of the corrupt Clive Ennington who splits them up & sells Nancy off to the highest bidder. Meanwhile Mary Robert's only love is forced to seek a new life for herself. She decides to marry Paul Marshall the handsome owner of a seaside guesthouse but her chance of happiness is threatened by his embittered aunt. As Robert recovers in hospital he is determined to find & reunite his family. But when he realises the terrible consequences of his actions he begins to wonder if he will ever see Mary & the children again.