Hattie Weatherall\'s heart leapt when she first saw Abbot\'s Mill, and with her dog and an assortment of wild fowl for company she sets about renovating the mill. Sarah Farley feels a pang of envy for Hattie\'s freedom. For over twenty years, Sarah has tolerated her husband\'s infidelities - and her love for him is about to be tested again... As Hattie settles into life at the mill, she befriends two young boatmen. Toby is recovering from a broken marriage and, when he has a another chance at happiness, Hattie is glad welcome his new family into the fold. Joss\'s problems are not so easily solved, but when he turns to Hattie for help, the motherly love that blossoms in her heart enables them both to heal old wounds...