With the extraordinary changes to society and families ushered in with the Industrial Revolution, the quaint countryside of Lilly Armbruster’s youth has been transformed, bringing to some great wealth and to others, tragic loss. Forced to work in the mills as her only means of survival, Lilly is deeply resentful of the powerful mill owners she believes have stolen her father’s farm and caused his premature death. Though intent on avenging herself, Lilly is torn when she discovers her one-time betrothed, Matthew Cheever, is hand-in-glove with the "lords of the loom." With her heart conflicted and her ideals faltering, Lilly’s values—and tenuous faith—will be put to the test.

Fleeing the life of the Shakers, Arabella Newberry finds work in the industrial mills of Lowell, Massachusetts. But the taste of freedom she experiences only increases her longing for true equality for all the mill girls. When her ideas put her at odds with the dashing Taylor Manning, she wonders if she has made a huge mistake. Strife between the Irish laborers and the Industrialists continues to rise, and when several girls go missing, Lowell no longer seems a safe haven. As rumors and conflict invade the industry of the mill, will Arabella's determination to prove her independence endanger more than just her heart?

Raised in an atmosphere of equality, Daughtie Winfield is outspoken in her support for the rights of others, from the mill girls threatening a strike over pitiful working conditions to the immigrants living on the other side of town. So she is unprepared for the hostility—even from some who claim to hold similar beliefs—aroused by her growing friendship with Liam Donohue, an Irish artisan. Behind the scenes, a disgruntled former employee conspires with a one-time mill partner in a devilish plan that imperils not only the operation of the mills but those dearest to Daughtie. As dissention and upheaval threaten the future of the textile industry, Daughtie longs for peace—in her working world and deep within her heart.