Gallipoli, 1915. Donald Peter ('DP') Gillies, a young Lovat Scout soilder, lies in a field hospital, blinded by the Turks. There he and his Queen Alexandra Corps nurse, Louise, fall in love. In the quiet hours he tells her of his home in the West Highlands of Scotland, of the beauty of its lochs and glens, and the struggle to save the old way of life. She in turn tells her own story of a harsh and unforgiving upbringing in the Welsh valleys.

Cut off from Allied troops, Donald and Louise make a perilous escape to freedom through Turkey, Greece and on to Malta - the first stage of their journey to a new life together in DP's beloved Ardnish. But just as they are within reach of home, fate deals an unexpected hand. . .