Set in the brash and aspirational London of the 1980s and follows Joan Hannington, whose exploits earned her the nickname ‘The Godmother’ in the city’s underworld. The series begins with Hannington in her twenties in a disastrous marriage to a violent man. When he goes on the run, she sets her sights on a better life for her and daughter Debbie before transforming into an accomplished jewel thief.