
Helpless Saran Chandler stands by as her mother & younger sister are sold by the vile Enoch Jacobs & herself narrowly escapes the same fate. When Enoch drowns Saran swears that she will not rest until she has secured her familys release but
- penniless & friendless
- barely knows where to start. Sarans courage & virtue bring their own rewards: when she benefits from an act of kindness she uses the gift to become a nailmaster in Wednesbury a dark & grimy place in thrall to the vicious Zadok Minch whose godfearing exterior masks perverse tastes. Zadok Minch the man who had once bought Sarans mother & sister to satisfy his evil lusts.. .