1942. Sixteen-year-old Poppy Percival arrives at the gates of Trout's clothing factory in Bethnal Green, ready to begin a new life as an East End seamstress. Forced to leave her quiet countryside home, and banished to a war-ravaged London, Poppy harbours a dark secret - one that tore her away from all she knew.

By day, the East End women of Trout's play their part in the war effort, stitching bandages and repairing uniforms for troops on the front line. But Poppy's new friends at the factory are hiding some painful truths. Vera, the salt of the earth forelady, has had a hard life, with scars both visible and concealed. Vera's glamorous younger sister Daisy has romantic notions that could get her in trouble; while Sal, a hardworking mother, worries about the safety of her two evacuated boys for good reason . . .

As the war throws their lives into turmoil, it will also bring the Singer Girls closer than they could ever have imagined.