Lucy Piddock meets Arthur Goodrich, solid, kind and dependable; a stonemason by trade working in his father's Black Country business. Arthur seems to be the ideal match, but he lights no flame in Lucy's heart. Anyone else would be satisfied. But Lucy wants more. She dares to dream of love and hankers for Dickie Dempster, the debonair young guard she meets who works on the newly constructed railway. Prompted by Lucy's rejection, Arthur leaves home to seek a new life and a new love in Bristol, leaving Lucy free to pursue her dream of happiness with Dickie. Free to make her own choices, Lucy finds the water muddied by tragedy, and must re-examine where her heart really lies.