Student Prue Sorensen (Susan Penhaligon) falls pregnant to and marries American actor Gavin (James Aubrey). Her father, Peter Manson (Frank Finlay), is a publisher who has an unhealthy relationship with her and becomes distressed over her pregnancy and marriage. The pregnancy creates tension between Peter and Gavin, which Prue exploits for her own amusement. Has Prue engineered the marriage and pregnancy to provoke her father? Tensions rise further as Prue and Gavin stay at her parents' house for the weekend...
Sarah (Deborah Grant) is hired as Peter's new office secretary. Peter is attracted to Sarah and quietly contrasts her ambition to Prue's apparent recklessness. Sarah's alcoholic father arrives unannounced. Cassie, fearful that the family is growing apart, suggests that she and Peter holiday in Scotland with their two young sons, where they honeymooned. Peter remains increasingly obsessed with Prue...
Peter and Gavin have gone to France. Cassie and the twins are about to go to Devon, and Peter finds himself at a loose end. Sarah is being the perfect secretary.
Peter and Gavin return from holiday. Prue is puzzled by her father's cold attitude towards her. Gavin receives information which enables him to take a subtle revenge on his father-in-law. Things come to a head over a birthday dinner.
Gavin lands Prue in hospital which she uses to guilt Peter into loving her again. Cassie tries to reconcile with Peter by admitting to him her own affair. After this ploy backfires she sleeps with Gavin.
Prue returns to the flat from hospital with memories and misgivings, and reveals something that Gavin had not expected. Meanwhile, Sarah begins to find herself involved in a personal game too complex to understand,
While Peter attempts to restore the status quo, Cassie tries to end a relationship, and Sarah compromises.
Novelist-screenwriter Andrea Newman discusses the TV adaptation of her novel, Bouquet of Barbed Wire, which garnered 26 million viewers in 1976. She’s joined by actor Susan Penhaligon, who tells us about the chemistry with her fellow cast members, and Radio Times Editor Alison Graham, to talk about her impressions while watching it on TV. The panel is hosted by Marcus Prince, TV Programmer at BFI Southbank.