Candlemas Eve begins in 1880 in the north of England, in the smoke and fire of the Industrial Revolution. Jack and Celeste Potter find themselves orphaned in a world that is unforgiving to the poor and the friendless. As a result, they embark on separate journeys-Jack emigrating to Trenton, New Jersey, to make his fortune in the pottery industry, and Celeste staying behind to survive as best she can. Their descendants, and the world they help to build, comprise the main characters and the setting of Summer of Smoke.