They beat like drums, the fists. I could hear them from inside the courtroom. I remember so many things about that day, but in quiet moments it is the fists that come back to haunt me, pull at me. 1996, London. Nicola, tall and gorgeous, has re-birthed herself. She has landed a breakthrough role and her star is rising - she can feel herself blossoming, can see it in the melting eyes of the men, and the jealous eyes of the women. If Nicola is a flower, Alexandra is a closed bud. Crushed by heartache from a recent breakup, she just wants to succeed as a journalist. Jeanette has just landed from Manchester. She refuses to let her mother's warnings about London or her Doc Martens weigh her down: she's ready for uni - for life - to start. This is the story of three women - and the mysterious Mavis. With laughter in their hearts, power in their spirits and beauty in their souls, they reach for dreams the whole world seems to want to destroy. But soon they discover that those who wear the cloak of friendship - family, community, lovers, peers - often cause the greatest pain, the pain of rejection and violation.