A passionate love affair begins when Charmian Powell meets handsome Ronnie Biggs on a London commuter train but her father's disapproval of Ron forces the couple to elope to the Devon coast with money Ron made Charmian steal from her employers to fund their escape.  After being discovered by police following a dramatic chase, Ron is imprisoned and Charmian receives a suspended sentence.  Charmian gives up her whole whole life for Ron, and after his release asks he never becomes involved in crime again.  This rapidly changes when Ron asks old friend Bruce Reynolds if he can help him out with a deposit for a house. However, Bruce's money is tied up planning what is to become the biggest robbery in British history - The Great Train Robbery. When Bruce offers Ron £40,000 to provide a train driver on the job, he reluctantly accepts.…

Ronnie takes part in the Great Train Robbery and returns home to a horrified Charmian. She is aware of the magnitude of the crime and knows the stability of their family has been jeopardised forever. Charmian's worst fears are realised when Ronnie is arrested and sentenced to 30 years imprisonment. Disowned by her family and left without a husband, Charmian must navigate her way through an extortion attempt.

With Ronnie incarcerated and unable to provide for his family, Charmian is pursued by a young sailor and his manipulative mother. A brief relationship leads to an unwanted pregnancy and an illegal termination. Just when Charmian is coming to terms with this, she discovers that Ronnie is planning to escape from prison. They reunite in Paris and decide to move to Australia as fugitives in a bid to keep their family together.

Charmian and Ronnie settle into their new life in Melbourne. They now have a third son and are both making honest livings. But when Ronnie meets up with some old friends from his criminal past he jeopardises his freedom and has to go back on the run. Then Charmian is arrested and her sons are taken into care. She eventually gets them back, but is forced to say goodbye to Ronnie as he flees to Rio de Janeiro.

As Ron begins a new life in Rio, Charmian makes the best of things as a single mother in Melbourne. But then tragedy strikes when their eldest son Nicky is killed in a car accident. Charmian is distraught but determined to remain strong and starts to pursue a life-long dream, while Ron descends into a life of drink and philandering. When one of his conquests announces she is pregnant with his child, he realises this could be the ticket to a right to remain in Brazil. Ron asks Charmian for a divorce and she agrees on the understanding that it is only temporary. But as Ron grows increasingly distant and slips further into a life of debauchery, Charmian is forced to make a decision that will affect the rest of her life.