Southampton 1920. Phoebe Collins rose to the challenge of running the family fruit and veg stall when her father did not return from the front. The work outside in Kingsland market in all weathers can be hard, but with her mother and younger brother Tim to support, she's determined that it continue to be a success. However, when Phoebe finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time and witnesses something terrible, she will need all her strength to face the trials ahead and the fear that her loved ones may come to harm.

Southampton, 1912. Jessie is made from tough stuff. At just 19, after the death of her father, she opted not to follow her mother back to Ireland, preferring instead to take charge of her own destiny.When Jessie marries an Irishman and takes over the running of the café she works in, it seems as though all the pieces are coming together. But when destiny and a pushy local businessman have other ideas, everything she has worked for is taken away, bit by bit. Will she find the strength to keep fighting for the life she wants in the face of personal loss, gang bosses and embezzlement?

1947. Excited and in love Gracie Brown leaves her home in England and moves to America with her husband Jeff. With little money and no job prospects, the couple move in with Jeff's parents whilst they find their feet in a land where promise seems to only come to those who start off far better than they have. Rich and stylish Valerie Brampton has just arrived in New York to move into her new swish apartment with American husband Captain Ross Johnson. When Valerie discovers more about Ross' life as she meets more of his family she's leftfeeling increasingly isolated. Uprooted from their lives in England, GI brides Gracie and Valerie must face up to their new surroundings and overcome the troubles that come their way in order to be with the men they love.

Belgium, 1917. At a military hospital close to the horrors of the front line, Sister Helen Chalmers strives to save the many injured soldiers brought in from battle. The need for comfort in the face of war throws Helen into the arms of the surgeon Captain Richard Carson – although she knows a romance with a married man will never last. But before long Helen is swept off her feet by Captain James Havers, with whom she can see a future. But Helen must summon what strength she can to help the man she loves overcome the lasting and devastating effects of war.

Synopsis1920s Southampton docklandsLily Pickford is just sixteen when her violent father throws her out of the house. Her first few nights are spent sleeping rough in Southampton's sleazy docklands, but her luck turns when stallholder Rachel Cohen gives her work and a place to stay where she regularly encounters Vittorio Teglia, a local villain who desires her. Her happiness is complete when she meets Tom McCann, a wild Irishman who only has eyes for Lily. When Lily is tragically forced to walk away from her new life, she is driven to the streets and prostitution, dreading the day that Tom discovers what she's become. A day that dawns all too soon...

Spring, 1944. Working as a supervisor on a Spitfire production line, Hildy Dickson believes she is doing her part to help with the war effort. But troubles at home make it hard for her to find happiness and independence. Meanwhile, Cora Barnes has lost both her parents in the Blitz and is still reeling from the devastating loss. Faced with homelessness and poverty, Cora and her friend, Belle, turn to the dark streets of Southampton to work on the game. They dream of raising enough money for a new beginning and the chance to put their pasts firmly behind them. For all three women, the war creates hardships from which they will only emerge by maintaining strength and, above all, the hope that they can achieve their dreams.

This is an enthralling saga of rags-to-riches on the eve of the First World War. September, 1914. Eighteen-year-old Daisy Gilbert is the star seamstress at Mrs Evans' prestigious gown shop in Southampton. Hard-working and well-liked by customers, she has also started to take on a few private clients to supplement her family's meagre finances. Daisy's ambition, ultimately, is not to marry her sweetheart, Jack, who works at the docks, but to set up her own dressmaking business. When her beloved father, ill with TB, is advised a stay at a private nursing-home, Daisy determines that she will find the money to pay for it. So a suggestion from one of her clients, the flamboyant Mrs Cummings, that she should work evenings as a waitress at the Solent Club, one of the town's upmarket brothels, is tempting. Though her mother is horrified, Daisy takes up the offer, reassured that she will only be working behind the bar. Young, innocent and beautiful, Daisy proves popular with the Club's...

When a former Wren reopens her criminal father's club, can she stay within the law...or is she too much her father's daughter?November, 1945. The night before the grand reopening of Club Valletta, former Wren Victoria Teglia can't help but wonder what her late father would think—his exclusive club was a hotbed of prostitution, illegal gambling and vice. Victoria plans to run the new Club Valletta along very different lines with her Uncle George, but her mother can see trouble ahead...

If you follow your heart, there is always a price to pay . . .1940s. War alters lives, and for three women from different walks of life, the choices they make will change everything forever. For housewife Jenny, her husband's word is law. But when he enlists, she finds her voice . . . and a new friendship with a young GI that becomes her guilty pleasure. Vibrant Rusty Dobbs is a prostitute, making a good living, but when she falls for an American captain she hides her job from him. And finally there is Sarah, a teenager who is drawn to Gunter, a prisoner of war – the enemy.

Nineteen-year-old Connie Morgan works in the haberdashery department of a large Southampton store, and is in love with her married boss. But everything changes when she's swept off her feet at a local dance by dashing young car mechanic, Sam, who introduces her to the exciting new world of motor racing.Having fallen head over heels for Sam, Connie is anxious to end her adulterous affair with John Baker. But John isn't going to let her go that easily, and Connie knows that if Sam ever finds out about her relationship with a married man, he will end everything, dashing all her dreams.

An engaging historical saga from a much-loved author - 1934. Talented eighteen-year-old dancer Bonny Burton joins the chorus at Southampton's Palace of Varieties and becomes fast friends with gifted choreographer Rob Andrews. When the pair are spotted by a talent scout, they are contracted to appear in the West End. Soon, Bonny becomes the darling of the theatrical world, but when she falls for a handsome boxer, he brings trouble to her life, and at the height of her fame, her career is put in jeopardy . . . Can she survive the consequences that fate has cruelly tossed her way?