A poignant, comic and totally original coming-of-age story adapted for the BBC in 1990 by Jeanette WinteRson from her Whitbread prize-winning novel. Jess is the adopted daughter of a deeply religious woman. Growing up isolated and insulated in the north of England in the 1970's, Jess is told she's part of a larger plan. Her mother keeps her away from "Breeding Grounds" like schools, preferring to train her to spread God's word "to all the heathens in the hot countries." Jess eventually attends school, but continually feels like an outcast due to her religious beliefs. Her small town life changes when she meets Melanie, a beautiful sixteen-year old, and she experiences love at first sight. As the two draw closer, Jess's mother sees the devil at work and determines to exorcise the demons from her daughter. Faced with the ire of Pastor Finch and his congregation, Jess realises that she must soon decide between following her own heart or the path of life set out for her by others.