This is an enthralling saga, bringing 1950s Southend-on-Sea to dazzling life. When Lillian Parker's Aunty Eileen runs off in the middle of the night, Lillian loses the one person in her family who really loves her. The youngest of four children and everyone's gofer, Lillian works her fingers to the bone in the family guesthouse, all the while cherishing a dream of being a professional dancer. Apart from dancing, the only joy in Lillian's life is the time she spends with James Kershaw. But James sees Lillian as a friend and only has eyes for Lillian's glamorous older sister Wendy. With her own dreams of being Southend carnival queen and marrying an older man for money, Wendy doesn't have time for James - though she's happy to string him along. But as the years pass and Lillian, James and Wendy all follow their individual dreams, will any of them truly find happiness?