London, 1936

Ill and stuck in hospital at Christmas, seven year old Cora Kelly is excited to receive a visit from her mother, who brings her the gift of a gingerbread man. But little does Cora know that this will be the last time she sees her . . .

As Cora continues her recovery on a farm in the beautiful Norfolk countryside, tragedy strikes her family and she moves back to London with her new guardian, Eliza.

Here they live a happy, if simple, life. But, as the Second World War approaches, and the past comes knocking, everything changes.

Will Cora be able to escape the inevitable, or is she destined to repeat her parents' mistakes?