Pauline Barstowe is an alcoholic who lived in Creek for a long time. In the last novel of the series, Pauline was burned by a male acquaintance. Pauline is now in recovery, trying to straighten her life out. As part of her sobriety, Pauline has been forced to come to terms with the fact that she has given away four of her five children. Father Tim has one of her children and in this novel helps reunite her with another of her children, five-year-old Jessie. Pauline manages to get a job at Hope House in this novel and Father Tim helps her find a place of her own where she can live with two of her children.