Seren is happily married to a successful doctor, Bobby. With their two young boys they move from the South of England to an up-market town in the North.
The house they are moving to is Seren's dream home and she is looking forward to her new life and meeting her new neighbours.
Clarissa is married to a wealthy semi-retired financial advisor, Michael. Her life on the surface appears perfect.
The initial pleasure at having respectable new neighbours is soon lost when she realises they have children, and the regimented tranquillity of her life is thrown into disarray.
The very sight of Seren triggers in her an extreme dislike and stirs up memories that she preferred not to recall.
What ensues is a catalogue of confrontations that grow increasingly out of control.
Each woman keeps a journal which illustrates how very differently they experience similar events, and how they react to them.