'My life was like running a hurdle race - every so often I had to jump over an obstacle.' This is the story of Kaashi's journey from her early childhood in Pakistan to married adult life in Britain. It is a story of courage and determination in a world dominated by men. Kaashi is an ordinary Pakistani woman, one of many who suffer all kinds of abuse within their own family setting. The disgrace and shame prevent them from exposing the culprits. Accompany Kaashi as she shares with us the heartache and frustration. What is the future for women like her? Does she manage to keep her family...

Petal Afrid is a young woman in her twenties, the mother of twin baby girls and the wife of a loving husband, Sami. Yet as Petal recounts the story of her own childhood, we see how deeply she was affected by her own mother, who abused her eldest daughter physically, verbally and emotionally as punishment for trivial or imagined misbehaviour, locking her all night in the larder if she dared to stand up for herself. When Petal's kind and loving father is driven away from his home by his wife's bullying and the favouritism shown to Petal's brother, Petal is left to fend for herself and to try to...

This is the story of Lilly Roe whose life seems ordinary until she meets Anthony, a young boy at college. For the first time, she relates to the woman inside her and wants to kindle an emotional relationship with him, in the hope of bridging that emptiness within her. When she does go out with Anthony, she starts to think of life and the night train that her mother spoke about and yet she isn t allowed to talk about it. Her father is a broken man, not wanting to address the departure of his wife. The London riots serve as a backdrop to the story and a stepping stone for both of them to try to...