1991. The flatmates rally round as they enter the darkest days of their lives. When Valerie goes on the warpath, it's up to Jill to help Ritchie before it's too late.
March 1988. Ritchie embarks on a lonely journey home. Meanwhile, Jill is in danger, and Roscoe's set to collide with Margaret Thatcher, as protests about the AIDS crisis begin.
While making their way in the world, the terror the friends been avoiding suddenly strikes at their heart in the most unexpected manner. Reeling from the news, everyone has to rally round. And when a hospital takes shocking action, the flatmates must fight like never before.
As Ritchie and Jill embark on a scheme to become professional actors, Colin is excited to be offered a trip to New York. Roscoe hides his fury when he finds himself excluded from his sister's wedding, while Jill finds herself entering a world of mystery and fear. The stories in the headlines are becoming true, and the shadow of Aids looms, but Ritchie's denial is ferocious and Jill finds herself unable to tell the truth as the situation gets worse.
September 1981 finds 18-year-old Ritchie leaving the Isle of Wight to go to university. In London, Roscoe walks out of parents' home, while Colin arrives from Wales to start a new career on Savile Row. The three boys meet, and along with fellow student Ash and best friend Jill form a gang and move into a flat, christened the Pink Palace. However, a distant threat on the horizon means that life in the '80s might be all too precious.