Cath Raine is only ten years old when she witnesses her mother, Sadie, making a terrible sacrifice to prevent her husband from finding out about her affairs when he returns from the war. But despite taking desperate measures to keep the family together, Sadie is unable to remain faithful to her husband and eventually drives him away. Then, when she falls for a Canadian flyer, she runs away with him, leaving the girls home alone. The scandal of the Raine family is the talk of the town, and Cath grows up very self-sufficient, determined to be nothing like her mother. When Cath meets Jack for the first time on the grounds of his father's estate, she mistakes him for the ground keeper's son, but despite their mutual attraction he sees her as nothing but a pitman's brat, not worthy of his time or attention. Years later, they meet again, and Jack is captivated by the beautiful young woman she has become, and even finds he must compete with his childhood friend Mark for her attention. Cath begins to fall for Jack, but with the country at war, and more scandal closer to home in the form of Sadie, will the young lovers ever find happiness?