Born in 1864 in Ipswich, England, during the Victorian age, to a mother who did not want her, Nell was both illegitimate and nearly blind. The mother, Salome, gave her to a reluctant Aunt Winifred who saw to her physical needs but lacked understanding. Salome had another illegitimate child, Violet, this one adored and kept. In school, Nell was unable to learn because of her poor eyesight, but an observant teacher understood the problem. When Nell was fitted with glasses, she became the scholar that she wanted to be.

In a cruel turn of events, Nell was taken out of school to care for her mother who had consumption, an ordeal that lasted a year. At her mother's death she went into service as a maid-of-all-work and Violet was shipped off to Canada to an orphan asylum. Nell was stunned and saddened, but with the help of an odd cast of characters, she was able to find a way forward.