1The Facts of Life
The adult children of the Ashton Family are preparing a surprise party for their parents, Edwin and Jean. The atmosphere is cheerful, but some underlying tensions within the family pop up now and then, and then there is the threat of a war that seems to be coming. Through his marriage 30 years ago Edwin shifted from working-class to middle-class, but at the cost of losing his self-respect. All these years he has been in the hands of his brother-in-law, Sefton Briggs, who rules the printing works where Edwin is employed, and even owns the house where Edwin and Jean live. The post as manager of the works is now vacant. Edwin is the obvious candidate for this position, but instead Sefton places his own son, Tony, there. This also dashes the hope of Edwin's eldest son, David, of getting a job at the works. David is tormented by not being able to earn enough money to maintain his wife Sheila and their two children without financial support by his parents. When all other possibilities have failed, he finally finds one solution: to join the RAF.
2To Die for Spain
August 1938. The family is dismayed when Philip decides to return to Spain to fight the fascists.
3Lines of Battle
June 1939. The threat of war, conscription and social issues contribute to the tensions at Margaret's wedding.
4The Summer Before the War
August 1939. There are anxieties about the evacuation of children, and an unplanned pregnancy.
5The Gate of the Year
December 1939. Everyone adjusts to new roles during the 'Phony War', but Margaret's problems with her mother-in-law come to a head when John has unexpected leave.
6The Breach in the Dyke
May 1940. The families are variously affected by confused reports of the German advance on the continent, as John and his unit retreat towards Dunkirk.
7The War Office Regrets
June 1940. News that John is missing in action stretches the Porter's fragile marriage to breaking point.
8For Strategic Reasons
June 1940. On the island of Guernsey awaiting orders, Philip and a friend become involved with two local sisters.
9The Night They Hit No. 8
August 1940. The family experience an air-raid as Margaret prepares to give birth.
10One of Ours
September 1940. The different characters attempt various ways to enjoy Saturday night in spite of the war, and David is sent on a bombing mission.
11Brothers in War
October 1940. The men come home on leave and cause tension within their families by spending more time pursuing romances than at home with their relatives.
12If It's Got Your Number on It
November 1940. Freda's chance encounter with an Australian airman has consequences for a childhood sweetheart and the families.
13The End of the Beginning
December 1940. Preparations for Christmas and a near-miss from an incendiary device cause the families to reflect on various relationships.
1The Other Side of the Hill
December 1940. As a new year begins the family contemplate missed opportunities.
2I Can Be Happy, Can't I ?
January 1941. Uncertain about the fate of her husband, Margaret's anxiety creates friction at work, at home and in a possible new relationship. Her family realise that they have underestimated the extent of her problems.
3A Lesson in War
April 1941. In the Western Desert, Philip becomes friends with a hard-drinking and rebellious Polish soldier frustrated by delays in his transfer to his own army.
4Is Your Journey Really Necessary?
May 1941. Sefton's attempts to retain majority control of the company extend to interfering in his son's plans for a romantic weekend while on unexpected leave, but he has underestimated Tony's new girlfriend.
5The Forty-Eight Hour Pass
May 1941. With some on leave and some bombed out, the house becomes uncomfortably overcrowded and relationships are tested as the air raids continue nightly.
6Hope Against Hope
Liverpool, May 1941. Margaret is going to live with Michael Armstrong, but when she visits him an aerial bomb hits the house, and sets the whole building on fire. Margaret is seriously hurt and taken to the hospital, where members of her family soon turn up to visit her. She is fourth months pregnant and everybody worries about the baby's survival chances. At the same time Mrs. Porter is on her way to Liverpool. A British soldier has found a letter written by John at the battlefield in France, and has sent it to her. The soldier is back in Liverpool, and now she wants to get more information from him.
7A Time to Be Born
Liverpool, October 1941. The rationing of food has led to the development of a black market. Sefton has a share in a pig, but wants to buy the other half of the pig as well. Harry Jenkins is reluctant to sell his part, but in the end he agrees. The next morning Harry tells Sefton that officers from the Ministry of Food have confiscated the dead pig, and that Sefton will probably be prosecuted for unlawful slaughter. At the same time Margaret is taken to the hospital for her delivery, but the child is stillborn. And Freda confides under tears to Sheila that she has a crush on a married man, who doesn't know it and who she never can have.
8A Hero's Welcome
Liverpool, December 1941. Sheila has brought her son Peter home for Christmas, but her daughter Janet didn't want to leave the Thomas family in Wales. Peter hasn't seen his father David since summer, and is now eagerly awaiting his arrival. In Peter's fantasy his father is a war hero, and he anticipates all the marvelous stories he's going to hear. When David finally arrives Peter is disappointed. His father doesn't want to talk about his war experiences, and just says that he and the other pilots are frightened all the time. He also starts criticizing his son for small faults in his behavior. When David leaves Liverpool again at Christmas Eve, Peter says that he hates his father.
9We Could Be a Lot Worse Off
January 1942. Two security officers visit Edwin to gain information about John Porter. Some weeks ago they traced a transmitter in Belgium. When asking for name, rank and number of the person calling, the answer was John Porter followed by some personal details. It could be a trick by the Germans, but it could also be John, locked up by a resistant group, who uses his technical skills for their own purpose. At the same time Robert is crossing the Atlantic Ocean with his ship, who is escorting a tanker with aviation fuel from New York to England. German submarines discover the squadron and blow up several of the ships, including Robert's. After a long time in the cold water and in a lifeboat, Robert dies. His body is thrown into the sea.
10Lend Your Loving Arms
Liverpool, January 1942. Freda has a crush on Michael Armstrong. She cannot reveal her feelings for him, but communicates them in a cryptic way by reciting some poetry. Freda tells Sheila that David has a leave and is coming home today or on Monday. With bitterness Sheila remarks that she probably has to share his leave with another woman as usual. She decides to give tit for tat, and joins Freda and Doris on a pleasure-trip to Southport. They go to a dance-hall with some soldiers, but Sheila doesn't enjoy herself, and leaves after a while. At the railway station she meets a man and they go for a drink. When they return the last train has already left, so they spend the night in the waiting room, talking with each other. When David doesn't find Sheila at home he gets furious. Sheila arrives in the morning, but she doesn't give him a clear picture of where she spent the night.
15The Straight and Narrow
18I Wanted to Be with You
