Paisley, 1920. In the post-war decade of peace, uncomfortable new conflicts are looming. Women no longer take a back-seat in the business community and one, Fiona MacDowall, has made it clear she intends to inherit her father's furniture emporium. Her half-brother Alex, although born out of wedlock, has other ideas. But it's Alex's wife Rose who objects most. A businesswoman in her own right, she owns Harlequin, the town's grandest and most successful dressmaker's. She is sure Fiona will stop at nothing to get what she wants. And on Fiona's list is a husband and, she suspects, Rose's own business ... For their extended families and the community at large, other troubles are brewing. Irish cabinetmaker Joe McCart, employed by Alex, has recently arrived with his family - and a dark secret. His daughter's friend Rowena is the centre of another mystery - about her parentage. And sisters Caitlin and Mary, who both work at Harlequin, have their eyes on marriage. But there are people in the community who have other ideas about how people should run their lives, their marriages - and their businesses ...