Liverpool, 1920, and the Moss family needs to get their pianola out of hock in time for the street party. The job falls to headstrong young Ruby to go out and earn money. But her new job as a corsetiere, together with competing for a place in the Olympic swimming team, is taking its toll. Brother Billy is the only one who can help but he is suffering his own nightmare due to his traumatic experiences during the war. The day of Ruby's swimming race arrives and Billy's fear of water reaches crisis point. When the much-needed money fails to turn up, their sister, May, finds herself performing a risqué act at a gentlemen's club.
Iris's dreams of a life beyond her family appear to be answered when a handsome, enigmatic stranger arrives at the door. She is swept off her feet but both Dadda and Ruby seem determined to stand in her way, forcing the rest of the family to rally round.
May poses for some photographs, tempted by the offer of a film acting career, but things get out of hand, Mr Brazendale rushes to her rescue and the scene is set for an affair. Dadda fears the 12th July Orange Parade will be a shambles without a horse for their very own King Billy to ride.
Iris and Father Melia are thrown together as a scarlet fever epidemic threatens the street. The risk of families being torn apart forces Dadda to devise an ingenious plan. Meanwhile, Mr Brazendale tries to woo May back with grand offerings.
The family encourage Billy to visit a badly injured friend from the War, hoping that it will cheer him up, in the latest episode of Heidi Thomas's drama series set in the docklands area of Liverpool just after the First World War. Nazzer's reappearance raises difficult emotions for Billy, which he tries to deny by going out with local girl Queenie. But the two men fall in love and Nazzer inspires Billy to overcome his fear of water. However, when Billy is finally ready to admit his feelings for his friend, it is too late. Meanwhile, May makes a shocking discovery whilst working for Father Melia, and worse is yet to come when she learns, to her horror, that the Brazendales planned the whole thing.
Ruby's infatuation with a group of upper-class modern thinkers leads her into conflict with her family. A sudden convert to vegetarianism, she releases the butcher's pigs in a spirit of protest. However, the plan backfires and she is forced to stand before the magistrate's court. Her friends reveal they had other plans for Ruby and that their politics are not quite as innocent as they had seemed. When May becomes dangerously ill, Ruby is forced to make the choice between family and friends. Butcher Joseph, however, proves an unlikely ally.
When Billy accidentally brings home an exotic snake from a trip at sea the house is thrown into turmoil. Dadda falls in love with a local school mistress, Miss Bird, but the girls are incensed that he is betraying their mother's memory.
May is convinced that things can be sorted out with Mr Brazendale even though he tells her he is leaving for New York just when the baby is due. When there are complications with the birth it is Frank who is hanging outside like an expectant father. Iris and Ruby become very worried about May as day turns to night and the baby still hasn't come. Billy is sent to get the doctor, who cannot be found. Desperate he calls on dada for help. When the baby is finally born it isn’t breathing and Dadda has to massage it to life. He then, however, rejects both the baby and May, who falls into a deep depression, disappearing from the family home under a cloud. May refuses to feed her baby as she desperately waits for contact from Mr Brazendale. She is alone with her son when Mrs Brazendale visits and delights in telling May that she and Mr Brazendale are going to make a new start in New York, leaving May questioning whether she will cope alone. Taking her son for a walk she meets Dadda. He cannot look at her ‘bastard’ child. When Billy arrives home he finds Ruby and Iris frantic about May – she hasn’t come home. After a dramatic search, May is found by the river, but soon she is threatening to give up her baby to Mrs Brazendale. By sticking together the Moss family manage to set aside their differences to stop May from making the biggest mistake of her life. Things return to ‘normal’ in the Moss household without Dadda. And when he arrives back he has to battle with his pride and admit that he was wrong. He brings with him two documents for the mantelpiece; one a vow of abstinence from all strong drink; and his grandson’s birth certificate. He will proudly march with the wee lad in the future.