In Pontypridd, in 1939, blackouts and conscription are beginning to strain the community. And three women are separated - perhaps for ever - from the men they love. Jenny Powell's husband, Eddie, abandoned her on her wedding night, and she must struggle to cope alone. Italian Tina Ronconi's sweetheart enlists, and she and her sister face internment as enemy aliens. And Bethan's doctor husband is called up, leaving her, along with all the women, with endless worry and fear. Forced to adjust to a world at all, all they can do is wait. Then comes news of the Allies' retreat at Dunkirk and, for many, life will never be the same again...