A scantily-dressed girl dancing in a lighted window jolts Francis Copeland from his world of books. Francis, now approaching middleage, whose life and marriage are in a rut, fantasises about the girl and finds it hard to accept, as he discovers later, that she is Judy, a dancer in the local pub. The hidden world of the avenue unfolds to Francis. Who is Myrtle, his wife? (Does she genuinely go to bingo every Tuesday night?). He does not know her. Who are the real parents of the street kid Freddy? Who was the neighbour whose car killed Francis' mother when Francis was twelve years old? Raw suburban truths are exposed as Francis, with the help of the local children, slowly unravels the secrets of the avenue.