Perseverance!

That is how Martha, a single mother in the West Virginia of 1918, survives and ultimately thrives, doing whatever she has to for her daughter, Frances.

It is also how Frances, a pregnant newlywed at the outbreak of World War II, gets through those dark days and their aftermath.

This tale of two remarkable women covers a fifty year period from World War I well into the 60s, full of pain, joy, friends gained and lost ... oh, and the creation of Kevlar.