"Exeter, 1925. Della Wilde has set aside her dream of moving to Paris to study at the renowned Le Cordon Bleu, choosing instead to support her family torn apart by war. By night, she works at the prestigious Ambrose Café, serving the city's elite - she feels utterly invisible. Until a chance encounter with rebellious Alice Winters, the daughter of a powerful MP, upends Della's world. Alice is a woman caught between duty and desire. She secretly yearns to be an artist but is expected to marry a respectable suitor and raise a family. Della, with her sharp wit and quiet strength, is unlike anyone she has ever known. She makes Alice feel alive. So she draws Della into her orbit - first as a muse for her secret art, then as something infinitely more intimate. But in a world where reputations are easily shattered, their growing bond is a danger that threatens not only their futures, but those around them. As Alice risks scandal and Della faces the consequences of following her heart, they must decide: will they allow others to choose their path, or dare to forge their own?"
"1951, Devon. Connie's job at the Tivoli cinema provides an escape from her alcoholic father, Frank. There she meets and falls in love with projectionist Charlie.
After a whirlwind romance, he splices his proposal into her favourite film, Casablanca, and for the first time, Connie dares to dream of a life beyond the one she's settled for.
Charlie promises her a happy ending, but for Connie, fate has a different plan.
1996. Seeking fulfilment after his divorce, Eddie takes on the now dilapidated Tivoli cinema, a once-shining gem in Devon. He finds an abandoned film reel with a note:
I'm sorry.
The film reveals the final frames of Casablanca, with a marriage proposal to someone called Connie Harris . . ."
