In 1940, the Pengelly family is disrupted by the arrival of four evacuees. While Skye Pengelly welcomes the new additions, other family members have mixed reactions. The war becomes an everyday part of life as, one by one, friends and family are reported missing or killed, and Skye is forced to accept that the Pengellys' lives no longer seem to be charmed. Skye has always shared her grandmother's passion for the family business, and buys the old clayworks back, but as the war drags on she wonders if the pain of her children is a sacrifice for an old woman's dream.