Until recently, the Lorimar family was a family of five; four sisters - Fanny, Gertrude, Lucy and Phyllis - and their father. However, the sisters' father recently passed away, and now, in April, the house they grew up in, and most of the things in it, are to be sold off. This will leave the sisters facing abject poverty The sisters quickly realize that unless they do something about it, their lives will become very bleak indeed. Gertrude, the assumed leader of the sisters, proposes that they open up a photography studio. After all, they are skilled "hobby" photographers. Why not put their skills to good use? Gerty, Lucy and Phyllis will work in the studio, whilst Fanny will act as the family housekeeper.
They grab the bull by the horns and get started on their plan. Lucy begins a three month apprenticeship at a photography studio that is owned by a family friend. Gerty, meanwhile attends to practical matters, such as finding a location for their business. She leases two floors of a building in Baker Street, with a studio attached to it. The address, @20B Baker Street, will be their new home. The women cannot hire anyone to get the studio ship shape for them, and so spend the month of June getting it ready for business themselves. They plan to open when Lucy returns from her apprenticeship, around the end of July.
The studio opens. The women attract quite a lot of business, much of it from family and friends who are anxious to support them. They notice, though, that many of their new customers expect their prices to be cheaper than the prices at studios run by men; after all, they should pay less for a woman photographer, shouldn't they? This is typical of the chauvinism and ignorance of the time that the women encounter. The Lorimars soon build up a reliable clientele and they also begin to get work from artists, who hire them to take photographs of the work they have just finished. Tis is a whole new avenue of work for the sisters, and they begin to make important connections in London's art world.
The women never turn away a paying customer, even if their requests are somewhat discomforting. The first time they are truly uncomfortable is when the housekeeper to photograph Lady Watergate, who has recently died. Gerty photographs her in her coffin and oddly finds her grieving and silent husband more disconcerting than the corpse she is taking pictures of.
Their acceptance into the art community is hastened by the friendship of Frank Jermyn. He lives on the opposite side of Upper Baker Street, and one day hires the sisters to take photographs of his latest artistic work. Although it is deeply improper for an unmarried woman to visit an unmarried man unaccompanied, Lucy nonethelss goes to his studio to take pictures. Jermyn becomes the sisters' most vocal cheerleader and also becomes a regular visitor to their home. He recommends them to his friends and associates, and soon they are invited to take photoraphs of Royal Academy artist Sidney Darrell. This time it is Gerty who takes the job, but unlike Lucy's experience in Jermyn's studio, she finds her experience much less pleasant. The artist is polite, but clearly looks down on her, and she is pleased to finish the job and get out of the studio.
Frank invites the three sisters to go with him to a showing of his work, attended by high society and the most influential members of the London artirati. They recognize Lord Watergate, and also Sidney Darrell. Phyllis, the most beautiful of the sisters, makes quite an impression on the other guests, so much so that after the sisters have left the showing, Sidney Darrell asks her to pose for him as an artist model for his work entitled "Cressida". Gertrude hates the idea, but has no authority over her sister. With Fanny playing gooseberry, Phyllis begins to sit for Darrell. He is clearly attracted to her and he showers her with attention and gifts, which she enjoys. However, it is Lucy whose romantic life develops sooner; before he departs for Africa on a trip with a newspaper as an illustrator, he asks her to marry him. She joyfully accepts; after all, the two have been dancing around each other for months and it is time to cement the relationship.
Phyllis is growing very attached to Darnell, and seems oblivious to the rumors swirling around London about the nature of her modelling for him. She believes that he feels the same way about her,and so when he tells her that he is leaving for France without her, and won't be able to finish her portrait, she is very hurt.
September brings a change in seasons and an overwhelming amount of changes in the Lorimar sisters' lives as well. There is an ambush of British troops in Africa that kills almost all of them. Frank, as an artist on attachment, is with them at the time, but he is reported missing, rather than confirmed dead. Lucy is devastated. Frank's parents ask her to their home in Cornwall, on the south coast, so that they can all grieve together.
Lord Watergate arrives at the studio to talk to Gerty about business; he has been one of their best customers since the inception of the business and he is very fond of the sisters. They discover a note in the studio that Phyllis has left for Gerty, informing her that she is going to run away with Darrell to Italy and that they shouldn't try to stop her. Gerty is horrified, Lord Watergate desperately worried. He tells Gerty that Darrell is married. Together, they race to Darrell's studio to try to stop the plan. They are just in time; against her protests, Gerty forces Phyllis to listen to her and to come home. Darrell is denounced as a scoundrel and a cad by Lord Watergate. Phyllis seems physically affected by the stress of the situation. She is clearly not well. Her condition worsens; the doctor is called and he breaks the sad news that Phyllis has tuberculosis (consumption). There is no cure, and she dies shortly afterwards.
Lord Watergate is very protective of Gerty. He makes a real effort to visit and to take care of her after Phyllis' death. One day, he tells her that there are rumors going around that Frank is alive. He has been seen by a number of people. Finally, something to hope for again in the Lorimar household. The rumors are true and Frank returns to London, where he and Lucy are married. They plan for Lucy to carry on working after the wedding, but Gerty's future is less certain. Will there be room for her at the studio anymore? Whilst Lucy is away on her honeymoon, Gerty reflects on her life, with some sadness. She has embraced the role of strong, independent woman, but fears that because of it she might end up spending the rest of her life alone. She regrets rejecting romantic advances made by Lord Watergate; he would have loved her.
Her reverie is broken by a knock at the studio door. Lord Watergate has returned, undaunted by her earlier rejection of his advances. She confesses she did not reject him out of spite, or because she doesn't love him. She was frightened of accepting his love, and frightened of the lifetime of happiness he was offering her.
The sisters all live happily ever after; Fanny marries a man unconnected to the art world. They are happy, except for the fact that they are unable to have children. Lucy and Frank have children; two, in fact. Lucy still runs the studio and the photography business even after she becomes a mother; her specialty is children's portraiture. The Watergates also have a child and Gerty hopes that he will turn out to be exactly like his father.
