London, 1962. Two teenage girls - Ginger and Rosa -- are inseparable; they play truant together, discuss religion, politics and hairstyles, and dream of lives bigger than their mothers' frustrated domesticity. But, as the Cold War meets the sexual revolution, and the threat of nuclear holocaust escalates, the lifelong friendship of the two girls is shattered - by the clash of desire and the determination to survive.

Released after 12 years in an asylum, a young woman is reunited with her family and friends but soon begins to realize that the strange and gruesome events that led to her committal may not have been imaginary after all.