In 1925, Polly Morland is a celebrated beauty in Jazz Age New York when the powerful and secretive Ren Alexander proposes marriage. Her cousin Lennie, involved in radio, television and talking pictures, investigates Ren’s past and risks catastrophe. In Britain, the General Strike draws Emma back to ambulance work and Molly into running a canteen, opening unexpected paths in love and employment.
The decade’s prosperity proves unstable. Morland Place faces the gravest threat in its history, political shadows lengthen over Europe and the Wall Street Crash destroys fortunes on both sides of the Atlantic. The winding road through glamour, technological innovation and industrial conflict leads toward depression, yet the family’s willingness to begin again offers a limited source of hope.
