We often live in an agony from which we wish to be free, and then, when the situation changes it is not as wonderful as we expected. The grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence but we go to great effort to climb that fence, only to realize our predicament is worse than before. We go through the steps we took and then moan "if only I had done it differently". Darlene Hawkins finds herself in an abusive relationship and for the sake of her and her children, she seeks for a way to get out. She is not prepared for the unfortunate events that happen as she makes her escape, nor for the heartache that follows. Her heart longs for the child she left behind and then an unexpected tragedy prevents their long anticipated reunion. This book is set in the nineteen forties when the world was engaged in the conflict of World War II, the introduction of the Atomic Bomb and the struggle to overcome the devastation of the Great Depression. The hills of Tennessee in the area that was to become Oakridge, Tennessee, Kilgore, Texas and Abilene, Texas are the geographical settings of the story. Darlene Hawkins struggles to provide for her family in a community steeped with traditions and the dominance of the man over his wife. The opening of the mysterious manufacturing plant in the hills of Tennessee and the introduction of women to the working world give Darlene a means of escape.