Angie had always believed that Joyce was her biological mother. But as it turns out, Joyce is her aunt; it's the woman she thought was her aunt, Marlene, who's actually her mother. The realization of this terrible truth disturbs Angie considerably, so much so that Marlene thinks she's had a terrible nightmare.

As it happens, Angie's had a rude awakening, both personal and political. Because as well as realizing that Marlene's now her mother, she also realizes that the years ahead will be hard for most women in Thatcher's Britain, including herself. Only those "top girls" like Marlene and the British Prime Minister herself will thrive in the new hyper-competitive individualistic era. Those like Angie and Joyce won't get a look in at all.

Whereas single-minded go-getters and entrepreneurs like Marlene look set to prosper, most women will be held back, confined to the home to care for children or, at best, forced into a hostile labor market, where jobs are hard to come by and wages are low. That is the frightening prospect that now unfurls before Angie's eyes. The years ahead promise to be a nightmare for her and the woman she always thought was her mother, for they are going to be left behind.