Mr. Ward is a failing artist. His two daughters, Mollie and Waveney, are very close. However when the financial situation becomes insufferable, and Waveney has to enter service, the sisters have to part for the first time. The book tells both stories in a realistic and engaging way. It gives us, the readers, insight into every aspect of the sisters' lives from managing a household to going out with friends to treating servants and, of course, their love for each other. - Summary by Stav Nisser