It s 1959, and Boots Adams and his wife Polly are helping to celebrate the retirement of barman Joe at their favourite Camberwell pub, when they witness with horror a sudden and vicious attack on Joe by a knife-wielding young thug. Is this a sign of the times? Is contempt for old traditions and enthusiasm for everything new and fashionable going to threaten the Adams family and their easy-going existence? While young Gemma is courted by one of the young men who works for her father, her twin brother James finds himself affected by his girlfriend s intriguing family secrets. And just who is the mysterious young woman who arrives from Finland to study at Gemma s college?