Frances has lived a life of apparent privilege and has been lonely. Despite her traditional upbringing, she is brave and strong-willed, but falls in love with a man who is considered unsuitable.

Prudence is timid and conventional, whose horizons have been limited to her job as a bank clerk in Croydon until the war provides her with new experiences.

Rosalind, a stunning, red-haired actress, catches the attention of Frances’s conservative elder brother, the heir to an ancestral mansion.

The three women become friends when they join a group of women working on canal boats, which involves delivering goods and performing tasks that are typically reserved for men while they are away fighting in the war. It is a challenging and unglamorous job, but it brings them all unexpected rewards.