In the heightened atmosphere of a busy maternity unit there are inevitable tensions between modern technology and the demands by some mothers for a 'natural childbirth'. For widowed midwife, Shirley Pierce, there is no argument: the safety of the baby is always paramount, and her strongly held views are further deepened when she meets a younger man who has been irrevocably brain-damaged since birth, and their friendship blossoms into love of a kind. Sister Pierce's defiant attitude towards a hospital manager and her refusal to heed the warnings of her friends lead to her involvement in a horrific tragedy, and she soon discovers that there is a heavy price to be paid for resisting authority...Nights On, Nights Off is a gripping story about midwives, on duty and off, a body of professional women whose emotions and reactions are ultimately no different from those of the women they serve.£18.99