The residents of Pearl Street, Liverpool, are having a street party, but it is 1939 and Britain is on the brink of war. For Annie, this means constant worry for her twin boys. For Sheila, the birth of her sixth child is eclipsed by fear for her husband's safety, while her sister, Eileen, finds that work in the munitions factory brings more than a much-needed wage. And when Freda and Dicky, the least cared-for children in the neighbourhood are evacuated, their new lives change them beyond recognition.