Liverpool, 1958. Nursery nurse Irene Miller can't help herself falling for her friend Peggy's handsome older brother. But nothing can come of it, for Marty is married, trapped in a deeply unhappy union. Meanwhile, Irene's friend Peggy is desperate to marry her long-term boyfriend Pete. But Peggy's staunchly Catholic parents would never accept a Protestant son-in-law. When her mother decides to remarry, her brother heads off to sea, and she loses her job, Irene feels utterly alone in the world. An unexpected job offer from America offers her a lifeline. But it would mean never seeing Marty again. Meanwhile, Peggy decides that the only way to resolve the issues with her family is to escape where no one can find her. But will Irene and Peggy ever solve their problems by running away - or should they follow their hearts back home to Liverpool?