. . . . . . . . "Domestic fiction" . "Large type books" . "In 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 deepened when she meets a young man who has been brain-damaged since birth. 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" . "Fiction" .