Lady Elizabeth Hartleigh Compton has enough problems on her hands. Not only is she struggling to upkeep the sprawling Manor House and vast acres she inherited, but she must also take care of her numerous tenants while coping with the inconveniences and sacrifices of wartime England. Fortunately, Sitting Marsh is far removed from the bombing going on in London and other cities. That doesn't mean that peace prevails in the tiny village, however. There's the handsome American major who takes over the Manor House for officers' quarters, and the group of belligerent housewives determined to take on the German invaders, not to mention a murder or two...

When an anxious mother begs Lady Elizabeth to find her missing daughter, she finds it impossible to refuse. Her tenants are her children, after all, and she'll do anything to keep them safe and happy. But once she discovers the daughter's bicycle abandoned on the cliffs, and then the young woman's body washed up on the beach, Lady Elizabeth is faced with many more problems than she anticipated.