The novel centers around four women: two sisters, Glynnis and Carol, just coming of age, their troubled mother, Mrs. Riggs, and an elderly neighbor, Miss Balls, whose most vivid memories are of her days as a young nurse in World War II. As the two girls struggle to navigate their stormy relationship, the events of a turbulent era are reflected in the lives of all four women. Each suffers a loss of innocence — and so too does the city.