Left an orphan, five-year-old Rosie Harris is found and raised by Maria, a Romany gypsy. Life on the road is hard, but the little girl soon feels one of the tribe with the travellers.

As she grows older, Rosie realises she has ''second sight'' and is able to read people''s palms and see into their futures. Needing to make a living of her own, she befriends the canal folk, known as the ''cut-rats'' traversing the Black Country waterways with their cargo, and so offers readings to anyone who can pay.

Pursued by Jake Harding, a Romany bandolier who wants her for his wife, Rosie instead finds herself falling in love with a married man. And despite growing ominous signs that her future may be cursed, Rosie can''t quite break away from the dream of a happily ever after...

Lindsey Hutchinson is a master storyteller, and her Black Country sagas are heart-breaking, uplifting and truly addictive.