Reenie Meadows is a woman with ambitious dreams of ultimate happiness, but her controlling mother puts an end to her early romance.When her family moves from Cornwall to London before World War 2, 17-year-old Reenie's life changes dramatically. Eventually, she marries successful businessman Harold Hartley with her mother's approval, but their 30-year age difference fails to fulfil her desires.After Harold's death, Reenie enters a second marriage hoping to reignite the spark in her life.Although her mother is still alive, she is not the controlling matriarch she once was, and the dynamics in Reenie's family are now very different. When things take a sudden dark turn, Reenie finds herself with no one to turn to.