In a decade of peace and change, uncomfortable new conflicts are looming.

Paisley, 1920.

Fiona MacDowall has made it clear she intends to inherit her father's furniture emporium. Her half-brother Alex has other ideas, but it's Alex's wife Rose who objects most.

Rose is a businesswoman in her own right, running Harlequin, the town's grandest and most successful dressmaker's. She is sure Fiona will stop at nothing to get what she wants, and Rose suspects that includes her own business.

But there are bigger troubles on the horizon for the inhabitants of Paisley. When Irish cabinetmaker Joe McCart arrives with his family and a dark secret in tow, the community is left reeling.