The Second World War has been declared, and in Coventry Maggie's abusive husband Sam signs up while drunk. He tries to run away, but is caught and sent into battle. David, his noble twin brother -- and Maggie's first love -- has already gone to the front. Meanwhile, the terrifying bombings at home finally persuade Maggie to evacuate her eight-year-old twins to North Wales, where the poor children are separated. Lizzie seems to be in the perfect family, while Danny is left in big, cold house with a severe-looking man who resents his presence. But appearances can be deceptive, and while Maggie, her younger daughter and her mother struggle to survive the horrors of the German bombing, her children face danger of a different kind.