Caring for an invalid mother and keeping house for her father and a family of boys had given Lucy a sense of responsibility far above her years. Small wonder then, that during her final term of night duty in her training for a nurse took Joan under her wing, who seemed you need shielding. But Lucy had to learn that protecting Joan was no way to help her to face life. It seemed that Lucy's sense of responsibility might result in her losing the man she loved. Joan had been caring for her mother who has now dead so she had gone back to complete her training at the same hospital as her friend Mark Kennedy.