During their courtship, Russ Carponi appears to have all the qualifications of a perfect mate. He's Italian, tall, dark and handsome with the body of a football star. He takes Jenny Harper dancing, buys her flowers and makes her feel special when she is with him. Jenny has a rude awakening on her wedding night and over the next few months Russ shows his true colours. He is not her knight in shining armour, but a man who physically and emotionally abuses his wife. She seriously contemplates ending their marriage. Fate intervenes and Jenny is involved in a car accident, is told she will never walk again and will remain paralysed from the waist down. She's reliant on Russ to care for her. Jenny refuses to give up trying to walk and remains hopeful that her superb physical condition resulting from six years of training as a Canadian Olympic swimmer will help her walk again. Even though she has no sensation from the waist down, Russ continues to have sex with her resulting in several pregnancies. She carries three of these pregnancies to almost full term, but Russ's lack of assistance causes her to lose all three. Russ consistently lets her down and abuses not only Jenny but their surviving three children. Jenny finally asks for a divorce. Russ is furious and swears a vendetta upon her and slowly but surely takes everything of value from her. When he uses bribery to obtain custody of one of their sons, Jenny bolts to another city and starts a new life for herself and her two remaining children.