Bethan Powell, a recently qualified nurse, is the main breadwinner for her colliery family. Living in the Depression-ridden Welsh valleys, her life is a continual struggle to make ends meet. Then one day, working at the hospital, she meets Andrew John, an affluent young doctor from a different world. Andrew has a car and a flat, and introduces Bethan to a different style of life away from the poverty and hardship she is used to. But their love is a subject of much gossip, and they will have to overcome family prejudice and social barriers before they can find true happiness.