Life is bleak for rose lucas, a spirited, intelligent girl, born into a large family in the slums of pre-war birmingham. But her friendship with diana, daughter of a vicar from middle-class moseley, gives her hope. She l...Life is bleak for rose lucas, a spirited, intelligent girl, born into a large family in the slums of pre-war birmingham. But her friendship with diana, daughter of a vicar from middle-class moseley, gives her hope. She learns to aspire to a different kind of existence, vowing never to become a child-bearing drudge like her mother.