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 & one, Fiona Mac Dowall, 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 & most successful dressmaker's. She is sure Fiona will stop at nothing to get what she wants. & on Fiona's list is a husband &, she suspects, Rose's own business.. . For their extended families & the community at large, other troubles are brewing. Irish cabinetmaker Joe Mc Cart, employed by Alex, has recently arrived with his family
- & a dark secret. His daughter's friend Rowena is the centre of another mystery
- about her parentage. & sisters Caitlin & 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
- & their businesses... But it's Alex's wife Rose who objects most. A businesswoman in her own right, she owns Harlequin, the town's grandest & most successful dressmaker's. She is sure Fiona will stop at nothing to get what she wants. & on Fiona's list is a husband &, she suspects, Rose's own business... For their extended families & the community at large, other troubles are brewing. Irish cabinetmaker Joe Mc Cart, employed by Alex, has recently arrived with his family
- & a dark secret. His daughter's friend Rowena is the centre of another mystery
- about her parentage. & sisters Caitlin & 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
- & their businesses...