Children of single parents in post-war London, Cathy Oldham and Rosalind Blair’s young lives are blighted by loss. As the 1960s begin, and her loving father Daniel dies, Cathy is left in the care of her godfather Gerald Cavelle, a glamorous concert pianist. She and Gerald marry but the security she craves continues to elude Cathy: confined to their remote hideaway in Suffolk, she feels lonelier than ever before. Rosalind, too, finds the transition to adulthood fraught with difficulty. Even her hard-won career in hotel management looks threatened by her mother’s domineering theatrical ways. Then an unexpected reunion with Cathy gives her new impetus to break free. Together, they enter the hazardous world of business — and start to become independent women.