Gabby looked at the woman she had hated nearly all her life. Then she sat down on the ladder-backed chair, put her face into her bloodied hands and cried.

To the outside world, Cynthia Tailor is a woman to envy. But Cynthia is deeply unhappy with her lot; she has always craved the best things in life, and she is determined to get them, even if it means devastation and tragedy for those nearest to her.

Amongst the many casualties are her husband Jimmy, unable to fight the wife he can never please; her sister Celeste, from whom Cynthia steals her most precious possession; and her parents, Mary and Jack, who pick up the pieces.

But the victims who suffer the most are Cynthia's children. For James and Gabby, the pain she causes stay with them forever...