Two years of war have taken a terrible toll on Pearl Street,Bootle. German bombshave reduced some of the houses to rubble and most of the inhabitants have lost close friends and relatives. While sisters Eileen and Sheila share the anxious burden of absent husbands, the conflict for others brings excitement and freedom. Kitty Quigley, stuck at home for years with her invalid father, Jimmy is forced to register for war work and is delighted to become an auxiliary nurseBut Kitty blossoms, jimmy finds his own life turned completely upside down. Living in the peace and quiet of the countryside, jessica flemming finds herselfdrewn inexorably back to the street where she was born. As she struggles to earna living, her path crosses with that of Rita Mott who is having a wild time while her soldier husband is overseas.