Exploring a family history from a female perspective, told as a fragmentary, personal stream of memories. Great-grandmother, grandmother and mother all had to cope with the realities of their time, with the tough odds they faced in looking to lead self-empowered lives in a working-class milieu. Some dreams are dashed, but their love for one another keeps them going. Collecting shells, summer time in the garden and putting arms round each other: the little things in life are ultimately the big things.