June 1941, Isle of Dogs, London In the dark days following the Blitz, happiness visits young Pearl Jenkins as she celebrates her marriage to Jim Nesbitt Increasingly uneasy at staying at home when other men are off fighting for their country, Jim enlists, leaving Pearl at home Together, Pearl and Ruby must bring up baby Cynthia while struggling to make ends meet and dodge the doodlebugs And all the time, Pearl must hide the dark secret she harbours, one which would tear the two sisters apart as well as her marriage Then tragedy strikes both on the home front and in the trenches and Pearl is forced to fight like never before to keep her family safe