(Suggestion: THE FAMILY concerns all our lives. Within the story we meet a family: the mother, Ellen, a housewife - the father, John, a doctor - and their adopted child, Steven.) The action takes place between 1971 and 2003.
John is in love with Paul, a hair stylist. Ellen meets Paul when she's looking for someone new to do her hair. James, a pub owner, knows everyone's business since several of the very intense scenes take place inside his pub. John is very jealous of Ellen's interest in Paul which is only platonic. Paul discovers that John's wife is his customer, Ellen. Very unexpectedly, Ellen becomes pregnant by John. When she discovers that Paul is her husband's lover she hangs herself carrying the unborn child. Despite John and Ellen's private conflicts, Steven leads a very happy life. John suffers a great deal of pain as he lives on with Steven after Ellen's death.