Dan Hodges is devastated when his wife Nora dies during the early days of the war Working long hours in a Portsmouth shipyard, how is he to look after his two sons, Gordon and Sammy? Then Gordon, something of a tearaway, is sent to an approved school, which leaves Sammy alone in the house until he is evacuated to Bridge End, a village near Southampton Ruth Purslow, a young childless widow, takes him in Slowly, as they grow closer, Ruth begins to dread the time when Sammy must return to Portsmouth But Dan begins to realise that Sammy means far more to him than he ever thought and determines to bring Sammy home