At the Habitation, a large and decaying riverside house in wild country 20 miles from Newcastle, the Crawford family eked out its existence. 

          Miss Martha Mary Crawford, the eldest daughter, acted as unpaid servant to her snobbish sisters, her schoolboy brother and her charming unreliable father. Moreover – she had a problem with Aunt Nancy, closeted upstairs, living out her fantasy life, occasionally becoming violent …. 

          The Crawfords were on the verge of bankruptcy – and when Martha Mary was obliged to take on the responsibility for her family, a series of dramatic events occurred that would test her indomitable fortitude…..