Huw Morgan is born and raised in a small mining town in Wales named the Valley. He packs his bags, planning to leave the town which is economically struggling more than in years past, such as when his mother and father first fell in love and bought a small house. Huw remembers growing up in a house where his father Gwilym often had money in his pocket, food was plentiful, and prayers were said before every meal. In those days, the faint smell of happiness “was all over the house” (11). The community spent time in the local pub, at rugby matches, or at events organized by the choir. Huw remembers the meeting between his older brother Ivor and a woman “from over the mountain” (12) named Bronwen. Huw fell in love with Bronwen even then and, he believes, he has “been in love with her all [his] life since” (15).

The chapel in the Valley is built by the community and, Huw’s father Gwilym insists, will be ready in time for the wedding between Ivor and Bronwen. Everyone wears new suits and Bronwen is married in her great-grandmother’s dress. The celebration afterward includes vast quantities of food as everyone brings “something made special” (17).