What happens to a young couple when the first flush of love fades? Alice and Amos Bell marry in 1925, when flappers and jazz prosper. But their struggle increases with the Depression years, followed by the World War II. Amos Bell does not deal with the stormy relationships with his children or his wife. Alice and her sister are ardent suffragists who live by their own rules, while their world overflows with parties, music, and dancing. As Alice’s illness declines Amos’ infidelity dramas explode, with the German bombs dropping on Yorkshire being the least of their troubles.

Music from the period accompanies each chapter.