England 1952: Lawyer Toby Whitby’s poor eyesight stole his chance to serve his country during the war but now the war has come to him. When a lawyer in Toby’s office is murdered Toby is given the opportunity of a lifetime to prove his worth by taking over the dead man’s most important case.
The granddaughter of the Earl of Southwold was kidnapped from the village of Rose Hill during the war. The earl is on his deathbed and now it is up to Toby to find his heir.
As Toby meets the villagers of Rose Hill and learns about the Americans who were stationed there in 1944, he starts to suspect that his client is not telling him the whole truth about the missing child.
Sam Ruddle, the earl’s gardener hints at dark secrets that were revealed on the night when an air raid targeted Rose Hill; the village postmistress shows Toby a letter from a war bride in America; an Irish midwife tells the story of bombs falling on a clinic, and Toby’s research leads him to German prisoners of war who worked on the earl’s estate.
As the villagers reluctantly reveal their secrets, the body count begins to rise and Toby understands that his own life is in danger. He must uncover the truth before it is too late and to find the truth he must dig back into the dark days of World War II.