It is February 1945 and April Green wonders if the war will ever end. Then the local pub takes a direct hit and April's father is killed in the blast. Life without him is hard and April and her brother do all they can to help, particularly when their mother announces she is pregnant. Volunteering to tend her father's allotment, April discovers a passion for growing vegetables. Meanwhile, Winnie Benson is coming to terms with her husband's spinal injuries....

It is London in the late 1930s, and into a coterie of rather grand people the 16 year old orphan Portia is plunged beyond her depth. In the midst of the rising tension, Portia experiences temporary relief in the form of a seaside jaunt.

Ralph offers his mistress's niece Amy a job at his jeweller's. Later Amy secretly courts Ralph's son, Clifford, but when the weak-willed Clifford leaves Amy holding the baby, he hasn't reckoned on the powerful influence of her father.

North London, 1916. When Olivia Bone and Lieutenant Lucas Black shared a passionate kiss one summer's evening, it seemed as if their love might finally have a chance to bloom. But their brief happiness is cut short when Lucas is sent to fight on the front line, leaving Livvie uncertain if she'll ever see him again. And after a chance encounter with one of Lucas's old flames, Livvie is left doubting whether an ex-factory girl like her will ever fit...

Rose Aubrey is one of a family of four children. Their father, Piers, is the disgraced son of an Irish landowning family, a violent, noble and quite unscrupulous leader of popular causes. His Scottish wife, Clare, is an artist, a tower of strength, devoted to a musical future for her daughters. This is the story of their life in South London.

It is 1938 and the threat of war looms on the streets of London. But, when the lights go down in the cinema aisles, usherette Daisy Blake is transported to a world of glamour. Among the staff there is much merriment and Daisy soon falls in love with the handsome organist, Al Dawson. Then war is declared and, just after Al leaves for the frontline, Daisy discovers she's pregnant. Her mother is distraught; when Daisy's letters to Al go unanswered, her...

It is 1938 and the prospect of war hangs over London. At the lodging-house at 10 Dulcimer Street, Mr Josser returns home with the clock he has received as a retirement gift. The other residents include flashy young mechanic Percy Boon, whose foray into stolen cars descends into something much, much worse.

The Nightingale nurses are doing their bit for king and country...Dora is the devoted mother of twin babies but, determined to help the war effort, she goes back to work at the Nightingale Hospital. More used to nights out in the West End, Jennifer and Cissy volunteer in the hope of tending to handsome soldiers. For shy and troubled Eve, the hospital provides an escape from the pressures of home.But as the war takes its toll, will the Nightingale...