When Maggie sees the beautiful Venetian blinds moving in the Caldwells' front window, she freezes. Her favorite neighbors Cady and Josh are away, so who is in their house? The pretty young woman who answers the door tells a convincing story. She's Sarah. The house-sitter. Just here for a month. An old friend of Cady's who needed a place to stay. She's pleasant and warm, and Maggie wanders back to her house thinking she might have made a new friend. Yet she can't help but wonder why Cady never mentioned Sarah.

From the outside, my marriage to Zach was perfect: a dream home, a perfect baby girl, and passionate, all-consuming love. But as I cradle my gorgeous baby, I have to accept that the husband who used to be my everything has changed. At first, it was little things: expecting me to keep to a strict schedule, picking out my clothes for me. Now, he controls every aspect of my life: from how much money I have, to when I leave the house, and who I can see. I know deep down, only one of us will make it out of this marriage alive. 

The day my path crossed with Simon Fox I thought I’d already lost everything, but then he almost ran me off the road with his flash car and belittling jibes. The men in my life had undermined me for too long. Enough was enough. Fuelled by alcohol and the desire to get even, I decided a spot of petty vandalism would make me feel a whole lot better. Wrong. Very wrong. I hadn’t realised that Simon Fox was not a man to be messed with.

Behind the tall hedges of the affluent gated community of Apple Tree Creek, not all is as it seems. Out of the blue, Gertie’s husband decides they need a break, and he’s leaving her with their three children. Two streets east and three gardens down, successful businesswoman Rachael discovers her husband has cheated on her—again—even though she’s pregnant with his third child. Thrown together by a chance encounter, the two women bond over the shared disaster that is their marriages. But did one husband push his wife too far?

When Rachel moves into a new apartment with her young daughter, Lily, it’s with a huge sense of relief. After escaping an abusive marriage, this perfect downtown fourth-floor rental, within minutes from the lake, feels like the new beginning the two of them deserve. But soon handwritten letters begin to arrive for someone called Annie. Alex says she was just the tenant who lived there before, who moved out one day without a word. Tentatively Rachel opens the first letter, intending to return it to the sender. 

Emma can’t sleep. It’s been like this since her big 4-0 started getting closer. Her mother stopped sleeping just before her own fortieth birthday. She went mad and did the unthinkable because of it. Is that what’s happening to Emma?

As part of her recovery from a devastating car accident, Grace Thomas embarks on a surprise cruise booked by her husband, Cameron. The accident still haunts Grace and she is a little anxious to be leaving her family, but excited to fulfil what has been a life-long dream of hers - cruising around the Mediterranean with some girlfriends - even if her husband's secretary, Chantelle, is tagging along for the trip. Maybe this is a chance to start a fresh with this woman. But Chantelle appears to be everywhere Grace turns, and her instincts can’t all be wrong. 

Zoe didn't meet her daughter the way most mothers do. She finds five-year-old Maddie alone and dirty on a countryside road. Frightened for Maddie's safety, she picks her up and takes her back to her father, not knowing what she's about to step into. Because Maddie wasn't just lost; she was there to lure her serial killer dad's new victim. After escaping from the clutches of Maddie's dangerous father, she bonds with the little girl. Only Maddie knows what it was like to be at that house. And when no family members come forward to claim Maddie, Zoe decides to adopt her. 

Lauren is thrilled to escape her old life in London for a fresh start in the countryside with her partner, Paul, and her two stepchildren. Haunted by her past, Lauren knows how lucky she is, in her dream home with her ready-made family. She also knows how much she stands to lose. But as Lauren struggles to adjust to motherhood, Paul becomes increasingly distant and as village rumours begin to swirl about the fate of the house's previous occupants, Lauren's fears grow. 

Liv Travers never knew real friendship until she met fellow mums Beth and Binnie. The three women become inseparable as they muddle through early parenthood together. Then along comes Ange. Ambitious, wealthy and somehow able to do it all. Under Ange’s guiding presence, the group finds new vigour and fresh aspirations. But Liv can’t keep up and is increasingly edged out. When the four families take a three-week trip to a luxurious holiday resort, Liv seizes the opportunity to reclaim her place at the heart of the group, only to discover the true cost of a friendship with Ange.

From the outside, it seems Grace has it all. Only she knows about the cracks in her picture-perfect life...and the huge secret behind them. After all, who can she trust? Her brother, Josh, is thousands of miles away, and he and Grace have never been close—he was always their parents’ favourite. Her best friend, Coco, walked away from her years ago; their friendship irreparably fractured by the choices they’ve made. And her husband, Marcus, seems like a different man lately. Grace can’t shake the feeling that he’s hiding something.

Dani and her husband Tate’s life together is almost perfect. But Dani is haunted by guilt for causing a terrible car accident that left her unable to have children. She can’t remember why she was driving so fast that day or where she was going. Her therapist says she should try to move on.

Today–with just one month until Tom is to be declared legally dead–Rachel receives a note in handwriting she recognizes with dread: My darling, I’ve missed you so much. Give me a chance to explain. I’m coming home. The husband she’d lost is alive. And so are all his secrets....

One guilty secret will tear her life apart... After a series of heart-breaking miscarriages, Kate's marriage is hanging by a thread. When her husband Michael tells her he has shocking news, at first, she thinks the worst - he's been having an affair. It would explain why he's been so distant. Instead, he reveals that the daughter he abandoned twenty years ago is coming to stay. Kate is blindsided by the sudden arrival of Imogen mere hours later. Her new stepdaughter is beautiful but troubled and seems wary of her own father.

By the time I realized the truth about Daniel, it was too late. But the truth about me? He never saw that coming.... Dr. Daniel Ashcroft was perfect: handsome, romantic, protective. I thought I was so lucky. But then I heard the rumors about his previous girlfriend, that she had vanished without a trace. That’s when I found the cameras in my apartment. I was trapped. Daniel made it clear I couldn’t leave him, not without risking everyone I loved. I had to disappear, so I arranged my own kidnapping. I should have known Daniel would never let me get away that easily.