Irene Ruddock dashes off letters with her trusty fountain pen. When she's not writing, she's keeping an eye on the couple opposite and a little girl with bruises. But when the police come by, it's Irene who's in trouble.

Michael's only 15, but you wouldn't know. Gwen thought there'd be something that gave you immunity: that you couldn't fall for your own child.

After the death of her husband, Muriel's son Giles appears with papers for her to sign. It turns out there's a liquidity problem. Nonetheless, Muriel is determined to soldier on.