Ravenscliffe

In 1904, on Netherwood Common in Yorkshire, Anna Rabinovich, a Russian émigré, takes her close friend Eve Williams to see Ravenscliffe, a graceful Victorian villa. Anna wants the two families to make their home there, and she is certain the house has something to offer them, a chance at happiness.

Across the square, the Earl and Countess of Netherwood are readying Netherwood Hall for a visit from King Edward. The Countess, Clarissa, is set on making everything flawless, even with the idle heir Tobias and his American wife in the household. Much of that polish depends on the staff below stairs, who work to protect the family's dignity and reputation.

As Anna brings Ravenscliffe back to its former splendour, she develops a bond with Amos Sykes, a hard-working man who proposed to Eve only a year before. When Eve's long-lost brother Silas appears in their tight-knit mining town, friendships begin to fray. As the town and wider society shift around them, the people of Netherwood must adapt or risk losing their standing.