Queenie Bedford fled her native Blackburn and the bitter knowledge that she and Rick Marsden, the man she loved, could never marry. But in 1965, she returns north again to stand by her friend Sheila Thorogood, imprisoned for running a brothel with her mother Maisie. Though Rick had vowed to find her, Queenie takes care that he should not know of her whereabouts.

The magnificent Edwardian house in Blackpool is sadly neglected - but Queenie moves in with the ailing Maisie, and sets about transforming it into a sparklingly clean, highly respectable guesthouse. Meanwhile, Queenie meets the frail and confused Hannah Jason, locked away years ago for murder, and desperate for news of her long-lost son. As Rick continues his dogged search for Queenie, she sets out to find Hannah's son. But both their enquiries threaten to unlock the cage where crucial secrets have long been held captive.