The Unloved taps into the harsh realities that thousands of children face each and every day. Lucy (Molly Windsor) is 11 years-old when she is placed into care in Nottinghamshire's Crop Row children's home after suffering regular physical abuse at the hands of her violent father (Robert Carlisle).

In the home she is forced to share a room with 16 year-old Lauren (Lauren Socha) who after initial hostilities takes Lucy under her wing. What unfolds is an incredibly grounded view of the British care system through the innocent, bewildered eyes of a child.