It is 1934 and Bea Ledoux is a headstrong seventeen-year-old who has just returned from a stint at a home for troubled girls with more than a suitcase. She has also brought the baby with her that she was supposed to give up for adoption before returning home. Even worse, little Mary Ellen has been sired by an unavailable man who has no desire to marry her mother. After Bea relinquishes Mary Ellen to her mother without an explanation, she leaves her old life behind to begin anew. But is it all she hoped for or a nightmare she cannot seem to escape? As the world changes, war erupts, and one tragedy after the other affects Bea and her family, Mary Ellen matures into a young woman who has but one desire: to share her life with someone who loves her. But as history repeats itself, Mary Ellen must also find a way to forge ahead while protecting those she loves. He Knew Her Name is the story of two strong-willed women—one selfish and one too loving—who live in different times, forever connected by their blood and pain.