Brighton, 1914. Jean Morgan has always put others first. So, when her mother died, Jean sacrificed her dream of becoming a midwife to raise her younger sisters – Edie, Mary, and Bess – taking on back-breaking work to keep them safe and out of the workhouse.

Now, the outbreak of war brings fear and darkness to them all. But with her sisters mostly grown up, Jean can finally answer her long-held calling to nursing, joining the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD). She’s posted to Brighton’s Royal Pavilion – the magnificent seaside palace, now a military hospital for Indian troops.

There, Jean meets Private Dilip Patel. Despite the horrors he has faced in the trenches, Dilip maintains a sunny spirit, winning Jean’s heart. But in a society deeply divided by race, their blossoming love story is strictly forbidden.

As Dilip prepares to return to the battlefields of France, Jean must decide: will she bow to the prejudices of her community or find the courage to follow her heart?