1939. In Sydney, Australia teenager Cathy lives happily with her family oblivious of the onset of WWII in Europe. In England, young Tom, devastated when his mother leaves the family home in Leeds, is determined to enlist as soon as he is of age. In 1941 he joins the Royal Navy and is sent to the Far East on an important mission and, after months rescuing airmen shot down from the skies, his ship sails south to Sydney to allow the crew a short respite.
In a popular Sydney ballroom Tom meets dance teacher, Cathy with whom he falls desperately in love and it soon becomes obvious they are destined to be together.
But what are the chances of keeping their romance alive when it is inevitable that, once the war is over, Tom must sail back to England with the rest of the crew? Will Cathy agree to follow him? Only time will tell.