Plot Synopsis

Set in the 1870s at The Paradise, England's first department store, this drama series centers on Denise Lovett, the newest member of The Paradise staff, her boss John Moray, and her co-workers. Denise, a young and ambitious country girl from Peebles, arrives in a booming northern city and takes a job at The Paradise, the glittering department store across from her uncle's drapery shop. Right from the start, she shows an instinctive talent for retail and it's not long before her beauty and talent catch the eye of Moray, the store's dashing owner. Denise struggles to navigate the competing personalities in the Ladieswear department where she has been placed, and she feels the frustration of being an ambitious woman in a man's world -- but she isn't prepared to be held back by it. Moray has turned The Paradise into a success by following his personal philosophy to please women, and now he's desperate to expand the store further down the street. But Denise has competition for Moray's affections, as Katherine Glendenning, used to getting her own way since her mother's death, is obsessed with the store owner, and will meddle in his efforts to get his attention, even though she has a new suitor. As part of its MASTERPIECE CLASSIC series, PBS aired the U.S. premiere of THE PARADISE on Sunday, October 6, 2013 at 9pm ET/PT, showing the entire first season on seven consecutive Sundays through November 17, 2013.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Sunday, September 28, 2014 at 8pm ET/PT, PBS aired the U.S. premiere of the second season of THE PARADISE. In the Season 1 climax, Moray, proprietor of The Paradise, gave up Katherine, his wealthy bride-to-be, on the brink of the altar to fall into the arms of his heart's desire: his lowly sales assistant Denise. Season 2 opens a year after Moray and Katherine's aborted wedding. Katherine's father has died, she has married Tom Weston, and Tom now officially owns The Paradise. Meanwhile, Moray is cooling his heels in Paris and longing to return to Denise, who has kept her job at the store. But then Katherine unaccountably calls him back to take charge of The Paradise. New characters include: Fenton, a shady financier who desperately wants to buy The Paradise; Myrtle, the store's indelicate cook; and Susy, a gullible but goodhearted clerk.