East Sussex, 1914, the end of England's brief Edwardian summer. Agatha lives with her husband in the small, idyllic coastal town of Rye. He works in the Foreign Office, and Agatha is certain he will ensure that the recent sabre rattling over the Balkans won't come to anything. And she has more immediate concerns; she has just risked her carefully built reputation by pushing for the appointment of a woman to replace the Latin master. However, when...

?There was no denying it, being cheerful was a challenge. You just had to be grateful for small mercies: a sunny day, a night without an air raid, an extra rasher of bacon from the butcher.? England, 1942: 23-year-old Betty runs away from Bristol to make a new life for herself. Betrayed by her husband, Betty flees to the seaside town of Bournemouth, where she has fond memories of childhood holidays. There, she finds a small family bakery, in desperate...

It is 1916 and England is at war. Desperate to help in whatever way they can, Ivy and Louisa enlist as gardeners at Kew, taking on the jobs of the men who have gone to fight. Under their care, the gardens begin to flourish - but Ivy and Louisa aren't being treated fairly, and not everyone wants them there. Without women's rights, the pair begin to struggle - but can the support of the Suffragettes help their cause? And when a tragedy overseas affects...

In the darkest days of the Blitz, family is more important than ever. With her family struggling amidst the nightly bombing raids in London's East End, Ida Brogan is doing her very best to keep their spirits up. The Blitz has hit the Brogans hard, and rationing is more challenging than ever, but they are doing all they can to help the war effort. When Ida's oldest friend Ellen returns to town, sick and in dire need of help, it is to Ida that she turns....

March, 1918. British newspapers carry the dreadful news that the German Spring Offensive has begun, with thousands of British lives lost. Detective Sargeant Joe Keedy is awaiting release from hospital in London and is anxious to resume the fight against crime on the Home Front. Late one night, a bank is raided by a gang and the villains escape by car with a sizeable haul. Detective Inspector Harvey Marmion is put in charge of the case, but without...

As thousands of Brits are fighting on the front line, a new breed of women emerges to hold the Home Front together. Fiercely independent and fiery-spirited, these women are a group of munition workers. The 'canaries', so-called because of their chemically-stained yellow faces, decide to celebrate leader Florrie Duncan's birthday, but their frolics are soon cut short when all but one are killed in a startling explosion. And with five times the victims,...

1917. The Lotus Hotel offers sanctury for its exclusively female clientele, attracting the cream of London's society. But a dead body found in one of its rooms is hardly good for business, and when it is discovered that the woman was neither a guest nor a member of staff, the Lotus' reputation as a safe haven is cast in doubt.

Pentonville Prison. Wally Hibbert is serving a long sentence for arson. But after befriending and tricking one of the officers, Hibbert makes an audacious escape. Inspector Marmion, the detective who arrested Hibbert, is warned to watch his back, but it seems that Hibbert has another target in his murderous sights. However, the investigation is mired by confusion, the identities of killer and victim become increasingly ambiguous. An inmate at an internment...

London, 1910. Twins Lester and Lillia Holdsworth are destined for the stage. Lester is a brilliant pianist; Lillia a magnificent opera singer. But their cruel father has other ideas for their future. Lester is sent to a military academy, while Lillia must marry Lord Dalton - a pompous friend of her father's looking for a young wife to give him an heir. Their plans to defy their father's wishes are put on hold when war breaks out. Lester flies planes...

December, 1917. Ada Hobbes has cleaned for Dr Tindall for many years, and on this frosty morning she arrives at 9am to begin the day there, while he is at work. Since she knows that the place is empty, she lets herself in and goes to the kitchen to collect the various things that she needs. But it turns out the house is not empty after all. The blood-covered George Tindall is sprawled across the floor. As soon as Harvey Marmion and Joe Keedy arrive...