A major BBC drama about the life of Mary Corrigan, from her days as a rebellious mill worker in 1915 and her doomed love for a man who must fight for his country, to her final days in the run up to the British General Election of 1997.The Key follows Mary through a lifetime of personal and political struggle, raising first her own daughter and then her grandchildren. Throughout her turbulent life though, one thing remains constant: the mystery of the key that she wears around her neck. What secret will it unlock? In contrast, Mary's granddaughter Jessie is a timid teenager, living in the shadow of Maggie, her clever and beautiful older sister. Will she fulfil her heart's desires?In 1997, in the run up to the British General Election, a stroke-ravaged Mary becomes aware that a battle concerning her welfare is about to explode. It's a battle that will test the loyalties of everyone in her family, from Helen, her campaigning daughter, to Maggie, the New Labour parliamentary candidate. And