Kate and Martha are sisters, one a journalist, the other a fashion person. Martha starts off on a local London radio, working for a female shock jock, hating it and determined to find a proper job. Kate works on a fashion magazine, but is always finding herself sidetracked to Portobello Market in search of the perfect teapot, or lamp, or cushion. But when Kate finds that a lease on the world's most delightful Notting Hill shop is up for grabs, and Martha gets a much longed for post as a war reporter, they both discover that life isn't happy ever after just because you've got the one thing you always wanted . . .