A meticulously researched, semi-fictionalised account the Mauricewood pit disaster near Edinburgh of 1889 related by seven year-old Martha and her step-mother Jess. Their accounts are given in the aftermath of the death of Martha's father and 62 others in the accident.With many of the miners families left destitute, the women of Mauricewood undertake a campaign for compensation and justice against the criminally negligent pit owners with key figures of the day, such as Keir Hardie and William Gladstone, playing roles in the cause celebre. Alexander mixes historical fact and compelling fiction to create a gripping historical drama with a strong political resonance.