Headmaster Theodore Quinn has lived in Liverpool since coming over from America to fight for Britain in the 1940s. Over ten years later he is harbouring two secrets and scars that are both physical and emotional. Where women are concerned, he and his secrets are a closed shop, until Tia Bellamy walks into his life. Tia cuts through Theo's reserve, and the first of his secrets is shared with her. The pair grow close to the residents of the Lady Streets, a tight community that looks after its own, and in particular to Maggie Stone and her little granddaughter Rosie. Then Theo reveals his second secret, and everything in their life begins to change . . .