Like half of all the young women living in the Scottish town Clydebank in early 1911, Ellen works at the sewing machine factory. So does her big sister, Bridget, Bridget's fiancé Malcolm, and her new friend Sadie, who has come to work at the factory after the death of her father...

For Sadie, the factory is a way to make ends meet, but Ellen has sewing in her veins. She is even making Bridget's wedding dress on her beloved sewing machine. But after the excitement of the wedding dies down, everything changes. Ellen discovers that the work of the cabinet polishers - her job - is to be reorganised, and they will be doing more work for less pay.

Ellen feels betrayed - the sewing factory is her family and they've let her down. Sadie is more pragmatic. But the women aren't going to give in without a fight. They've been reading about strikes and they've got an idea - much to the disgust of manager Malcolm.

Meanwhile, Bridget, forced to choose between her husband and her sister, has made a new friend and is fighting her own battle, alongside the suffragettes.

The events of the strike will throw Ellen, Bridget and Sadie's lives into turmoil but also bring these women closer to each other than they could ever have imagined.