Annie is the eldest daughter of a laundress in Acton, London, raised to keep the rich families of Kensington spick and span. As she grows up in poverty in the 1920s and 1930s, her life centres on the family business, working long hours of hard physical labour. When she's not in the laundry she's looking after her younger brother and two step-sisters. But she's haunted by thoughts of her real father and what happened to him. All she knows is that he died in the Great War - her mother will not talk about him and his very existence is shrouded in secrecy. Annie's search for the truth angers and frightens her mother, who throws her out of the house. Undaunted, Annie continues, convinced that solving the puzzle holds the key to her future happiness, as she simply doesn't seem able to trust men.