First published in 1988, this is the story of Polly Kops, who lives in a charming part of West London, in a big house on a lovely garden square, with her lover and three daughters. From the outside, she looks to be living an ideal life, but upon closer inspection, it's easy to see that Polly's life is far from perfection: the bills haven't been paid in months; the phone has been cut off; her lover is a useless cad; and her house is falling apart...