In the sixties, Athene Forster was the most glamorous girl of her generation. Nicknamed the Last Deb, she was also beautiful, spoiled, and out of control. When she agreed to marry the gorgeous young heir Douglas Fairley-Hulme, her parents breathed a sigh of relief. But within two years, rumors had begun to circulate about Athene's affair with a young salesman. Thirty-five years later, Suzanna Peacock is struggling with her notorious mother's legacy. The only place she finds comfort is in the shop, The Peacock Emporium, a coffee-shop-cum-gift-store she opened, which provides a haven for other misfits in the town. There she makes perhaps the first real friends of her life, including Alejandro, a male midwife, escaping his own ghosts in Argentina. But the specter of her mother still haunts Suzanna, setting off a chain of tragic events. Only by confronting both her family and the feelings she has disguised for so long will she be able to come to terms with the past. As she finds her footing, Suzanna discovers that the key to her history, and her happiness, may have been in front of her all along.