It is 1914, and Christabel Montgomery is happily preparing for her wedding when she receives the shattering news that her fiance has been drowned at sea. Heartbroken, she tries to piece her life together. But she soon discovers she is pregnant, and fearing her parents would throw her out if they knew, she decides to help the war effort by leaving home to become a nurse.

However, she is soon forced to give up her duties. And alone and desperate, she has little choice but to have the baby adopted. Determined to put her sorrows behind her, Christabel hopes to build a better future for herself. But circumstances compel her to return home again. And here she finds her situation ever more difficult. She envies her brother's wife Violet who has just had a new baby. She is filled with remorse and regret about what she has done. She had no alternative, for her sake and the baby's, but she wonders if she'll ever be free from the fateful decision she made...