This is a story of laughter and compassion, hunger, sorrow and love, told from the perspective of a young girl set in Hull during the Second World War. Young Brenda lives with her mother, two sisters, and grandmother while her father and uncle fight overseas. Surviving on meagre war pensions, the family clings to hope. When air raids threaten Hull, Brenda's mother moves them to Staddlethorpe, a quiet hamlet twelve miles away. There, Brenda discovers the wonders of the countryside. She befriends Jack, a farm boy who introduces her to chickens, pigs, duck ponds, turnip fields, and orchards. Through their adventures, Brenda develops a lifelong love of nature that will forever shape her. As the war ends, England rejoices-but for Brenda's family, victory is bittersweet. Her father returns home, his health broken, his body trembling.