Growing up in Jamaica as the eldest of eight children, Valerie Bartley's (née Hancel) life was hard, having to work the fields to provide for her family while helping to raise her younger siblings. When she received a letter from a man she had only met once, asking her to come and join him in Britain, the pull of adventure and a better life was too strong to resist.

In this autobiography, Valerie tells a story of a life between two islands. A life that has been a journey full of hardship, tragedy and adventure along the way to finding love.