With the Armistice only a few months past, times are hard for most people in the East End, and the Glover family with their cramped terraced house in Bow are no exception. But eighteen-year-old Geraldine Glover, slim and pretty, daydreams of a glamorous West End existence - even though, as a machinist at Rubins clothing factory, her chances of living in the lap of luxury seem remote. Geraldine, who's choosy about boyfriends, used to go around with Alan Presley; but they drifted apart when he went into the Army. Then he had to get married in a hurry and now he's preoccupied with sorting out a divorce. However when she meets Tony Hanford, the young and handsome proprietor of a small jeweller's shop, her dream looks like coming true. His background is very different to hers and their marriage propels Geraldine into a new world - but it comes with a heavy price attached. What's more, her newfound wealth threatens to cut her off from her family...