The Garment Maker’s Daughter explores the struggle for women's and worker's rights in the early twentieth century through the eyes of three immigrants whose lives and loves intertwine. It is the story of Lena Rothman, a shirtwaist-maker and active suffragette whose plans get unexpectedly derailed; Jake Brenner, a passionate labor organizer determined to lead the shirtwaist-makers on a high-stakes strike; and Daniel Cowan, a brilliant and ambitious night-school student hobbled by a shameful past.