Ellen, William and Sam, not forgetting Alice, have settled into the rhythms and routines of their new lives at the Manor House, ten years after the Black Death swept through their village.
Life is busy, they all work hard and are building towards a new and hopeful future. Ellen is happy and content, except for one disappointment that clouds her days.
Then an unexpectedly harsh and severe winter reaches icy fingers into all their lives, and once again the village and its occupants are under threat.