Following a head on collision with a herd of cows, James and Evie become close. However, his obsession with racing proves too much for her so soon after Sebastian's plane crash. Bea meets Jack's parents for the first time when they spend Christmas together. His mother, an artist, proves to be a design inspiration and Bea resolves to alter the artistic direction of the latest House of Eliott collection. Alice's husband dies and the sisters realize why she has been so inefficient. Tilly and Norman decide to get married.

As business at the House of Eliott thrives, an offer to tour with their outfits in the USA seems too hard to resist. Jack meets up with some old war time comrades but finds that making a film about his experiences is more problematic than he thought.. Alexander returns to London but Jack and Bea go on the defensive and refuse to allow him to see Evie. When Evie discovers their scurrilous behavior she is none too pleased. Jack is offered a job directing a film in Germany, could it really be over between him and Bea?

When Daniel agrees to paint a portrait of Celia Romford to appease Bea, it creates conflict between him and Evie. Tilly becomes increasingly withdrawn and Norman enlists the help of her colleagues and finds in order to alleviate her suffering. Katya discovers that the 'Ready To Wear' collection at the Bayswater workshop is not quite to the House of Eliott specifications. Jack's political ambitions are realized when his policies on implementing a minimum wage are accepted by the Labour Party.