Petrina has been forced to let her daughter go and must fight to keep her son. This is the story of her battle to do so and of her life, loves and wartime adventures as she struggles to survive in a man"s world. It is also the story of her lost daughter, trapped in a chaotic lifestyle after growing up in confusion as to her origins and identity. When she finally makes the decision to trace her mysterious mother, she is plunged into yet more trauma until at last the pair are reunited with dramatic results. Spanning five decades from the 1930s to the 1980s and set in London and rural Ireland, "Punished with a Sixpence" explores the emotional depths that lie behind adoption.