The Undertaker's Daughter

In The Undertaker's Wife, the reader is introduced to the Shaw family of Beaufort in rural Victoria. In this sequel, daughter Miranda comes into the world prematurely but with energy and feistiness that, through her childhood, exasperate her father but delight her mother. 

Uncertainty about her career choice characterises her teenage years. A simple accident sets her on a certain path, and romance enters her life.

But it is the late 60s. The conservative traditions of the 40s and 50s give way to more freedom of opportunity for young people.  

Miranda eagerly takes up a short-term opportunity in the UK and, as a result, more painful decisions have to be made.  

Two tragic losses bring her to a clarity of vision about her destiny.