Maud and Sara Richards lived in a cotton mill town in the foothills of the Rossendale Valley, Lancashire. Their parents wanted to give the two sisters the best opportunities they couldopportunities they themselves did not have. They sacrificed a great deal to give their daughters the best education possible. After fulfilling her education, Maud went into the world of teaching, which had always been her dream. She then met a solicitor called John Howard. She was in love with him. Theirs was the perfect marriageor so she thought. For Sara, it took her sometime to realize her potential as she was head over heels in love with Tommy Foster. Tommy was from the wrong side of the tracks with a bad reputation. However, she eventually joined the Royal Navy for adventure and excitement, only to become entangled with a Dave Phillip, who liked to be in control. For the girls, their journeys take them into a sordid world of deceit and danger.