September 1, 1939 to February 17, 1940 War is looming and it poses very special threats to the Sullivans and their friends. Dave is a veteran of WWI and Grace, his wife, fears that he will enlist to fight again - but it is their son Tom who is the first to go off to war. Local German shopkeepers, the Kauffmans, face discrimination and risk internment while amidst the turmoil is John Sullivan’s love for their daughter Anna. With the war preoccupying the adults, 13-year-old Kitty Sullivan embarks on an innocent relationship with a lonely man – much to the consternation of Mrs. Jessup their nosey neighbour.