Our story begins with the birth of Mary Hanskye in 1841 as the Industrial Revolution is changing the face of pastoral England. While still a child, Mary comes under the influence of her uncle, one of England's great shipbuilders. Soon she is a young woman involved in a loveless marriage arranged by a father she has hardly known. Though tragedy and disappointment follow her like shadows, The Lovely Ship is a story of the survival of a strong woman as we follow her through marriage, childbearing, family crisis, and her ultimate ascent to the throne of power in the great shipbuilding company.