A moving story of heartbreak and friendship in 1950s BritainTilbury, 1950s. The Empire is a pub run by Vi, Doris's mother, but when Doris falls pregnant out of marriage, she is kicked out of the house and forced to fend for herself. Desperate to look after her daughter, Doris finds refuge in Southend and takes a job in a factory, hoping for a better life. When she finds herself cast out one night, Doris has nowhere to go but home - back to Tilbury. When Doris falls in with the Windrush immigrants, she finds herself helping one to a new life in Britain. But not everyone is happy with her decision and Doris must decide where her friendships lie.