It is 1940. In his hometown in Kent, retired Rear Admiral Arthur Clement and boatyard foreman Walter Gregory are impatient to make their contribution to their country's cause.

In his frustration, Arthur has taken to training sea cadets. Meanwhile, his granddaughter Penny has joined the WRNS.

Walter's son Wilfred is a leading seaman on convoy escort with the Royal Navy and, in Dekheila, Egypt, pilot Clive Newing learns that his ship HMS Glorious has orders to return to home waters and rejoin the Home Fleet. With the invasion of Norway, the war is about to become infinitely more intense.

Wilfred and Clive are each involved in the doomed Norway Campaign, at sea and in the air, whilst Penny undergoes training in Portsmouth as a telegraphist. Only Arthur and Walter are left fuming with impatience, but their country will soon have need of their skills.

This is the story of how members of this South Kent community contribute to their nation's defence during its most vulnerable time, and how, despite the demands of war, romance can still flourish. .