For Annie, the outbreak of war means constant worry for her twin boys, already sent to France. And for Sheila, the birth of her sixth child is eclipsed by fear for her husband's safety as he faces the daily threat of U-boat attack. Her sister, Eileen, whose marriage is not all she had hoped for, finds that work in the munitions factory brings far more than a much needed wage. But the war brings other changes, too: when Freda and Dicky, the grubby, least cared-for children in the neighborhood, are evacuated, their new lives change them beyond recognition - and their mother finds it is not easy to bring them home.