It's 1951 and rationing is finally coming to an end. But while Liverpool is recovering from the ferocity of war, a family is about to be torn apart. Dora Rodgers is adjusting to life a new life in Liverpool with her young daughters Carol and Jackie, moving on from the betrayal of her husband. After the fear of the war years and a difficult break up with her husband Joe, Dora is finally building a future with her children. But then an unexpected knock at the door rips her family in two. To Dora's horror, Carol is taken away by a welfare officer to live with Joe. She is determined to fight for her child, but when a tragic accident leaves her mother in hospital, and shocking news from Joe breaks her heart again, she struggles to cope. With her family in pieces and her marriage over for good, will Dora ever manage to get her daughter Carol home where she belongs?