Peggy Lighterman vows she will never be like her father. His was a life blighted by alcohol addiction and an untimely demise. Hers is one of placid fulfilment in the urban sprawl of South East London. But Peggy’s life is turned upside down by the death of Jim, her husband and childhood sweetheart. A drink to fill the empty void soon escalates into a downward spiral until she meets Dr Theo R. Hither, a psychiatrist who has witnessed first-hand the trauma of mental illness in his brother and is fiercely protective of those marginalised by society. Help to rebuild her shattered existence breathes hope into a life that she thought had disappeared forever. After the death of her sister, Babs, and a descent back into alcoholism, we are offered a glimpse of two possible futures. Without hope, her life means nothing. With it, she has the chance to turn it back around and plan for a new tomorrow.
There are frequent flashbacks to Peggy’s life growing up on a closely knit 1930s London housing estate; her evacuation during the war; marrying and losing her childhood sweetheart, working as a primary school teacher, the devastating experience of miscarriage and lasting childhood emotional trauma from her father’s alcoholism. Peggy’s mental health is precious, and the power of words could mean the power to change. She is offered the chance to catch her when she falls but how will society finally roll the dice in determining her fate?
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