A Woman of Substance

Ambitious Yorkshire maid Emma Harte falls into a forbidden romance with Edwin Fairley, jeopardising her dreams of escape. As a scandalous family triangle unfolds, Emma rises to power-only to face a new betrayal threatening her empire in 1970s New York.

Emma and Edwin's love blossoms, but she questions whether they can overcome their class differences. Elsewhere in Fairley Hall, Adam and Olivia embark on their own love affair...behind Adele's back.

Emma uses her sharp mind to get ahead in the household, but desperately misses Edwin, who was sent to London to secure a beneficial match. Adele's sobriety reignites her marriage to Adam, whose affections shift away from Olivia.

Emma has started a new life in Armley, preparing for the arrival of her baby and working tirelessly to provide for her child as a single mother. Back at Fairley Hall, Edwin's heartache for Emma is noticed by his fiancée, Priya, and Adele's condition worsens.

Emma's new shop is flourishing, and so is a romance with the handsome David Kallinski. A sober Adele crashes back into Fairley Hall, throwing a spanner into Olivia and Adam's affair and Edwin's upcoming marriage.

Emma prepares for Christmas, but her obsession with work and revenge brings danger to her door. Grief-stricken Gerald is in debt to a mysterious lender, with the Fairleys' mill as collateral. Content Warning: This programme contains scenes of sexual violence.

Britain is at war. Emma is frantically keeping businesses afloat. She has a plan, but it's a huge gamble. Meanwhile, the men in Emma's life decide whether to risk their lives for their country. When a guilt-ridden Edwin enlists, Adam is willing to do anything to stop him.

Emma returns home to Yorkshire for her 80th birthday, armed with a plan to foil her traitorous children… but there's another betrayal lurking. In Armley, the war rages on.