It's January, 1955, and for the residents of Meadow Lane, a small community of seven terraced houses, the New Year is about to bring some new challenges. There's Grace, Bill, and Evie Gow; Thomas (Hopalong) Cassidy; Anna and Thomasina, also known as Tommy; Maryanne Roberts; Bella Duff (aka Granny); Martha and Eliza Potter; Albert Scott; and newcomers Donald and Morag MacCallum. Each household has its own story. Maryanne is seriously ill, Bella has lost her fiance in the war and also now her mother, and Eliza is being kept from marriage by her domineering mother. Albert is having nightmares following his wartime exploits, and Morag is expecting a baby any minute.Then, with Maryanne ill, the sudden return of her daughter Sadie and grandson Eddie from Canada—without her husband—throws the Lane into turmoil. As soon as she can, Sadie tries to rekindle an old flame, despite him being a married man with two children. Unhappy with his mother and the enforced separation from his father, Eddie runs away from home, trying to get back to Canada. Everyone is worried for the boy's safety, but, when they eventually find him, he is reunited with his father who takes him back to Canada. Depressed by how her life is turning out, Sadie starts drinking, with tragic consequences as she accidentally starts a terrible fire in Meadow Lane that will changes all their lives forever. is an epic family saga set over 20 years, beginning in the 1950s, telling the story of ordinary people and their extraordinary lives.