At the age of 19, Kitty McCarthy has decided she is going to live a life less ordinary—although she doesn't know quite how to go about it. What she does know is that she doesn't want to get married and raise children in Liverpool like her elder sisters—Claire, who is a mother-hen, easy-going Norah, and elegant Aileen. But Kitty's resolve is tested by the unexpected direction her life takes. What will she gain by swimming against the tide? The combination of an impetuous youthful decision and a chance meeting 20 years later are to have momentous repercussions that will stay with her forever.