Five years since the store's opening, business is booming for Harry and new faces have joined old favourites at Selfridge's. Rose makes a surprise return home with a mysterious new friend in tow, Lady Mae is forced to deal with troublesome husband Lord Loxley who arrives in town from the country, and Agnes returns from a creative secondment in Paris - but is Victor pleased to see her?

Agnes is working through the night getting ready for the Empire Exhibition that Harry is rolling out across the store. Mr Crabb attempts to cover for Mr Grove after Harry thinks that he’s late for work again. Harry receives a visit from Henri and takes the opportunity to apologise and asks him to return to work. Gordon is fed up with the frostiness between his parents. Miss Mardle asks Grove to meet her at her new address and he finds out that she has inherited a beautiful London home and income from her brother. Lady Mae manages to find out that truth about Loxley’s finances and discovers that he has gambling debts and is rumoured to be all washed up.

With news of the first horrors of war in Belgium, the men of Selfridges clamour to sign up, while Rose, Delphine and Lady Mae organise a special chocolate sale to aid refugees - which goes down a treat in the store and proves inspirational for Miss Mardle. Thackeray suspects Henri is up to no good, Victor faces a family crisis and Loxley gets his shady money-making plans off the ground.