Lydia Jones and her friend Molly work on stalls at the local market, but behind the scenes their lives are very different. Molly is single and carefree while Lydia carries the responsibility for her parents' home, and her ailing mother Annie without the help of Aunt Stella, Lydia would have no life at all.

Things might change when Glyn Howe comes home to marry her, but she hadn't heard from him for weeks. His indifference, caused by worries of his own which he is unwilling to share, encourages Lydia to be attracted to newly-arrived Matthew Hiatt.

When the skeleton of a young woman is found buried in the grounds of a castle near Swansea, memories and rumours are unearthed with it. Suspicion surrounds the Jones's and the Howe's, and Lydia is determined to solve the mystery that threatens the happiness of those she loves.

But even Aunt Stella has a secret which is revealed during the search for the murderer of the young woman found in her lonely unmarked grave. Lydia has to face great danger before realising she has put her trust in the wrong person.