The novel is set in the West of England, in one week in January 1942. Set against a background of a decaying English country-house tradition, the story follows Valentine Arbell and her two daughters, as they struggle to stand up for their own lifestyles. The situation is made more complicated with the addition of some recently billeted officers moving in. This is a drama of character primarily, but events move swiftly under the compulsion of war conditions, and decisions are forced upon them all.