A violent brawl and an act of kindness. The effect of both will be felt for four generations. Six-year-old Maud, daughter of publican Ted Cotter, watches as her father is struck down by street fighter Charlie Sleet and his mob. When Ted dies from his injuries, his wife's terrible vengeance spins into a cycle of fear and hatred between Maud's family and the ever-more-powerful Sleets. On Romford Road follows the intertwined destinies of two tough-minded East London families as they climb from poverty to prosperity. One chooses the path of crime and corruption, the other toil and education. That angry night in 1915 becomes a blood feud, a vendetta, eventually an uneasy pact. But fate has bound the adversaries together and will not free them.

The tide of history itself guides their steps as the century brings votes for women, the rise of the working class, World War and the Welfare State. And far-reaching consequences flow from Ted Cotter's help that night to a young couple, immigrant Jews who never forget their gratitude. On Romford Road is told in four parts, for four generations of women, Harriet, Maud, Elizabeth and Alex.