"But darling what will people think if the sister's wearing mourning and the widow's dressed in pink?"

The war is over and the Skinner family are trying to return to normal. If only the blasted Government weren't such a nuisance about the rations and Cooke could get some more of those delicious delicacies. With daughter Laura returned from Africa, widowed but not alone, they prepare for the latest social gathering.

Amidst the never-ending whirl of hats and dresses and below-stairs skirmishes, Laura reveals a shocking secret that threatens to ruin more than one party on the climb to social success.