In the years following the end of the Second World War life for the farming folk at the Glens of Lochandee is tough. Many families in the village have been bereaved, and rationing is affecting business. Nevertheless, Conan Maxwell's new garage is doing well, and he and his Welsh-born partner, Nick, are hoping to expand. Nick and young Bridie Maxwell are planning to marry - when they can afford a home of their own - and their future looks rosy. When Bridie's old schoolfriend Fiona Sinclair, now a successful accountant, returns to live nearby Bridie is delighted, and Fiona, whose fiance was killed in the war, is heartened by the warm welcome accorded to her by all - except, perhaps, her old childhood rival, Conan. Yet Rachel Maxwell, Bridie's mother, still finds reason to worry. Though her marriage to Ross is as passionate and loving as when they first met she fears for her friends and family - and especially, in these troubled times, for the long-term future of her beloved Glens of Lochandee...