Moving into her sister's country house in 1938 England after years abroad, Phyllis becomes entangled in a circle of idealistic new friends and their views about a charismatic new leader before a lapse in judgment changes the course of her life.

Manhattan, 1939. New York socialite Caroline Ferriday's biggest problem is resisting the advances of a married actor. Across the Atlantic Kasia Kuzmerick, a Polish Catholic teenager, is affected when Germany declares war on Poland. As tensions rise Caroline's interest in aiding the war effort in France grows; she hears about the dire situation at the Ravensbrück all-female concentration camp. Kasia's carefree youth is replaced by a fervor for the...