1950. After her marriage went badly wrong, Dolly Taylor returned to Rotherhithe from America. She is now helping her best friend, Penny, to walk again after she contracted polio. Not able to have children of her own, Dolly envies Penny for having a beautiful baby daughter, Gail. Penny's husband, Reg, has set up his own business as a builder, and offers Dolly a job in the office. Tony, who was engaged to Dolly before the war, also works for Reg, and is still pursuing his childhood sweetheart. Although Dolly lives in close-knit Wood Street, with friends and family around her, will she ever find happiness there?