PART 1: THE PRESENT Middlingham- or "Middle-of-nowhere" as Caroline Vallely nicknames it- is a provincial town in Norfolk, home to teenage Caroline and her closest friends, Elizabeth and Hayley. The story begins in the late 1980's as all three girls find themselves rejected, to varying degrees, by the people who are supposed to love them the most- their parents. Caroline has always had a difficult relationship with her mother and father, and takes cynical pride in being the black sheep of the family. Elizabeth refuses to follow the choice of profession that's been laid out for her and Hayley goes for the oldest story in the book- she gets herself pregnant. 'Maybe we should form a club, no, a coterie, such a more interesting, more exotic word, ' said Caroline. 'It means an exclusive group of people sharing an interest. We could call ourselves "The Reject's Club." Three unwanted darlings together.' She named it and owned it. Her club, her title, her disciples. She fluttered her eyelashes theatrically and raised her glass. And so The Reject's Club was born. As they grow into adults, the trio all strive for a happier life, but nothing can ever be straightforward...