The protagonist is a self-described beautiful woman with the unlikely name of Coventry Dakin who is thoroughly fed up with her life, generally for reasons of ennui.

Coventry then escapes to London and lives as a down-and-out on the streets of the capital, encountering a bizarre series of characters from across the social spectrum.

As the novel progresses, it becomes clear through the writing and the protagonist's musings that Coventry has allowed herself to fall into the quagmire that she finds herself in.

This is quite typical of Sue Townsend's writing and has become a running theme through most of her novels;[1] a rejection of predestination and that circumstance is governed by the choices of the individual.

Coventry's actions stir feelings of independence in the other women who feature in the novel, emancipating some and causing rebellion in others.