William and Emma Sinclair have settled into life at Moorend Farm in North Yorkshire and live happily with their growing family, believing they have left the shame of their past behind. William is determined to prove his success to his embittered mother, and charts a secure living for his sons, to follow in his footsteps and reap the benefits of William and his wife's hard work. When Emma takes Jamie and Meg to visit her parents in Scotland, they receive a warm welcome from all their relations, except 'Grandmother Sinclair'. She sows seeds of doubt in Jamie's mind, telling him he is not a Sinclair. Her animosity, it is revealed, stems from a secret in her own past, which affects the happiness of her eldest daughter, Maggie, who is on the threshold of discovering it is never too late to experience the tenderness of love. Jamie can't forget the old woman's bitter words, and bullies taunt him about his identity throughout his school days. His earlier uncertainties return with far reaching consequences.