In the raw aftermath of World War II, this is the story of the Wentworth family. It is the story of John Wentworth—vicar of a church in Devon, England—and his wife, Daphne, who feels trapped in the vicarage. While John's great-aunt lives in the dilapidated family manor house, their three daughters attend a dysfunctional school, captive among embattled staff and their headmistress. It is only Harriet, John's aging former nanny, who holds the family together through her love and empathy. But when Michael Stone returns to town, recently released from prison and now searching for his former love, Daphne, he is a disruption to the lives of all—including his own—helping to free them from their prisons, both physical and metaphorical.