Kathy Leigh never knew her mother, who she'd been told had died many years ago in a freak accident. Raised by her reserved father, Albert, and loving Aunty Win in 1950s' Blackpool, she leads a happy childhood. It is a time of glamour and excitement for the town, but although optimism fills the air, families and individuals struggle to mend the bonds broken by the recent war. Albert Leigh loves his daughter but has never fully recovered from the shock of losing his wife. He struggles to form and maintain relationships, hounded as he is by the devastating secret that haunts him. Time passes, and Kathy grows up, falls in love with and marries her childhood sweetheart, Tim: what more could a girl wish for? But when her father dies, Kathy uncovers his shocking secret, a secret which threatens to blow their family apart. Confronting her Aunty Win, she finally learns the truth about her mother's life, and is forced to face the consequences of her parents' actions. It is a discovery that could take her far away from Blackpool and from everything she has ever known, all the way to America - if she is willing to take the chance.