New Arrivals On West India Dock Road

Welcome to West India Dock Road, in London's East End. An array of businesses lines this crooked street: a butcher's, a sailmaker's, a Jewish shop, a Chinese hostelry, a lodging house for people of all nationalities. A snatch of song wafts from a music hall, mingling with the scent of the public house nearby, the swell of the Thames and the call of seagulls. The air tastes of yearning. . . 1938: Divya has made the long sea journey from India to England, employed as a nanny by a British family. But once they arrive, she is cruelly abandoned, with no means to return home. Afraid and alone, she faces prejudice and rejection. . . until she finds her way to an Irish-run boarding house on West India Dock Road and meets Jack, Charity and a host of unexpected friends. Divya is a good cook, and preparing meals for the other immigrants, homesick for the food they were raised on, gives her a new sense of hope and purpose. In time, she opens a thriving curry house, beloved by the local communities. But as war in Europe looms, Divya's fragile sense of belonging - through her business, her friendships and budding romance with sailor Raghu - comes under threat. A world away from home, will she ever truly find happiness in life, on West India Dock Road?