The gift or curse of our familial DNA? Hand-me-downs tells the story of formative events in the lives of Maggie Fiddler's parents and grandparents. It follows them from late 1890s London England throughout the Boer and the Great War years to
Halifax, Canada, very soon after the Halifax Harbour Great Explosion; across Canada to Vancouver during the Great Depression, and finally culminates in the years of the Gay and Lesbian Liberation Movement.
Paralleling their stories is one of the influence these experiences have on whom Maggie Fiddler eventually becomes, and the fascinating concept that if these events are significant enough, they might also affect the future of further generations. Maggie calls it generational nurture.