Life couldn't be better for Lucinda Purefoy. Granted it's a little embarrassing, her father being the Bishop of Aldershot, but she's got a steady boyfriend, a degree in social science from Manchester University and the offer of a job in advertising. With all that, she feels she should pay back her debt back to society and do something good in the world. So, she joined SCRAP (short for Social Carers, Reformers and Praeceptors) , an organization which trains girls like Lucy to become guide, philosopher and friend to ex-convicts. Lucy finds herself standing outside the gates of Wormwood Scrubs, waiting to greet her first SCRAP client, a career-burglar called Terry Keegan. What happens next confounds expectations and produces a story full of surprises.