Set in wartime Highgate, Westwood tells the story of Margaret Steggles, a plain bookish girl whose mother has told her that she is ‘not the type that attracts men.’ What she lacks for in looks she makes up for with a romantic nature and cultural aspirations. By contrast, Margaret’s best friend, Hilda, has a sunny temperament and is effortlessly attractive.When Margaret finds a ration book in Hampstead Health the playwright Gerard Challis enters both their lives. Challis is delighted with his own work and lines such as, ‘Suffering is the anvil upon which the crystal sword of integrity is hammered’. He has no use for humour. Margaret slavishly adores Challis and his artistic circle; Challis idolizes Hilda for her hair, her eyes and Hilda find’s Gerard’s romantic overtures a bit of a bind. This is a delightful wistful tale of romantic entanglements and self-reliance.