In a 2012 London house-share, childhood best friends Maggie and Birdy — now in their 20s — experience bad dates, heartaches and humiliation. With flashbacks to suburban adolescence in the early noughties, the series begs the question: can platonic love survive romantic love as we grow up?

Gabriel Book, proprietor of an antiquarian bookshop, relies on his vast collection to unravel baffling cases. He nurtures a group of lovable yet troubled individuals, providing informal protection and guidance.