At the outbreak of the first World War, 21-year-old Evelyn disobeys her father and enlists as an army nurse bound for Egypt and the disastrous Gallipoli campaign. There, under the blazing desert sun, she starts falling for polio survivor Dr William Brent but knows a man has no place in her future if she wants to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor. William in turn thinks his disability makes him unfit for marriage and for two such self-reliant people, relying on someone else for happiness may be the hardest challenge of all.