When her good-for-nothing husband runs off with his fancy woman, Rita Kennedy is left at the mercy of Empire Street's gossips. The one thing that keeps her going is knowing her children are safely evacuated - that and the loving letters she receives from Jack Callaghan, her childhood sweetheart, but a life together is an impossible dream. Her friend, the shy Kitty Callaghan, has plucked up the courage to do her bit and joining the Wrens has opened up an exciting new world. But despite finding romance with a handsome doctor, she can't forget Frank Feeny, the brave officer who still inhabits her dreams.