In 1950s Australia, the clerks of the Ladies' Frocks Department at Goode's Department Store prepare for the Christmas rush…all while struggling with the quiet dramas of their personal lives. Patty is resigned to her dull marriage to a clueless husband; Fay has a knack for choosing the wrong men; Lisa, a shy, bookish teenager, is just venturing into the adult world; and Magda, a European refugee, nurtures dreams of owning her own boutique. Over the course of several weeks, the ladies' lives take surprising turns for the better in this elegant, amusing, and heartfelt little novel.