Elsie is a fiercely independent, equally opinionated pensioner with a drink problem and reliant on daily help including Jermaine, a black, sexually ambiguous carer. Initially, their relationships is combative but he wins her over with his non-conventional ways. When Jermaine disappears without a word, Elsie is determined to find out what happened to him.
Downtrodden wife and mother Nella's life takes an unexpected turn for the better after she joins the Women's Voluntary Service office in Barrow-in-Furness during the Second World War. However, her new-found happiness is shattered when her son Cliff leaves to join the troops - provoking a painful confrontation with her husband Will.
Jimi (Chris Bisson), the Chopra family's only son, gets caught off guard when his high-handed parents (Saeed Jaffrey and Jamila Massey) announce an arranged marriage to Simran (Jinder Mahal), a lovely girl from a respectable family. Problem is, Jimi's gay, so to hide his homosexuality, he spins an ever-more elaborate web of deceit -- but how long can he conceal the truth?
