Episode list

In April 1943 the peace of Suffolk town Market Wetherby is shattered when brash American airmen arrive to take over the local base. Shopkeeper Albert Mundy is resentful but his daughter Rosie and her friend Letty are charmed as they take a ride in a jeep. War hero Ronnie Dereham is also less than enthusiastic but he observes protocol when he and his wife Helen, the local doctor, host a party for Colonel Krasnowiki and Major Kiley, before Ronnie goes back to service. The crack flyer 'Red' Berwash is grounded by Kiley for an irresponsible show of aeronautics and most of the men are inexperienced so that bad weather and a bombing raid from a German plane do not help their confidence.

The raid is not a total success. Red's plane gets separated from the others and flyer Danny Coogan ends up in hospital. Patricia returns to University and Vi carries on seeing Chuck. Letty is almost caught with Lieutenant Harvey Wallis but - backed by Peter - lies to her father that she was jumped by a man she did not recognize. This fuels local prejudice as Mundy demands action. Kiley tells Helen the matter has been dealt with but will say no more, leading her to mistrust him. However when Letty tells her the truth she apologizes to Kiley,but still declines to go for a drink with him.

Vera Mundy's younger brother Sid, a spiv, comes to stay with the family, having been bombed out in London. Patricia returns after dropping out of university and cash-strapped army wife Sally Bilton is offered laundry work at the base by Sergeant Mac McGraw. Bad weather and shortage of planes means that the pilots are ill-prepared for their next raid, the Milk Run, in the course of which Harvey is killed just as Letty having confided in Peter, is about to tell him she is carrying his child.

Jack Blair is grateful to Mac for breaking up a pub fight started by British soldiers jealous that Rosie is being chatted up by Hymie and Elmer. Mac also comforts Sally, whose husband has been killed in action. Sid's continued presence annoys Mundy, who is not impressed to learn of his brother-in-law's black market deals with Mario. Sid also suggests to Letty, still keeping her pregnancy secret that she moves to London with him. Following the fight the colonel sends Kiley on a charm offensive,and he impresses local bigwigs at a party thrown by Helen. Helen agrees to spend a day out with him but on her return home learns that Ronnie has been wounded.

Mac and Sally's friendship grows despite disapproval from her greedy,selfish mother-in-law Ruby. Mario and Sid organize the Independence Day dance where Vi and Chuck agree to marry,Rosie chooses Elmer over Hymie and British servicemen turn up,not to fight but to unite with their allies. Letty reels in Mario,who charms Vera but is predictably shunned by Mundy. Aware that his father is buying on the black market from Sid,Peter rounds on him for his hypocrisy and moves in with the Blairs whilst Vera discovers Letty's secret.Ronnie Dereham comes home,a wheelchair-bound invalid,and,feeling stressed out as the amount of wounded in her hospital increases,Helen gives in to her feelings for Jim Kiley.

As mounting casualties take their toll on the men's morale Red takes a group of flyers to London on leave where Chuck pines for Vi whilst Mario's pursuit of women lands him and Elmer in a fight and jail. Hymie takes advantage of Elmer's absence to win over Rosie,now working in a parachute factory.Helen is also in London on hospital business and Jim Kiley goes after her,despite her telling him that they should stop their affair. He is seen leaving her hotel room by Phyllis,who,annoyed to have missed meeting up with her ex-husband,rings Ronnie and tells him what she saw.

Ronnie says nothing to Helen about Phyllis's garbled phone call. The police arrive at the Mundys to say that Sid has been arrested. Only after he has destroyed all his black market stock does Mundy learn that it is for draft dodging and not for supplying goods. Vera chooses the moment to tell him to get things in perspective as Letty is pregnant. Peter decides to return home after Jack has told him the reason that his father hates him is because he once had a fling with Vera.Sally's husband Stan returns home - he is not dead after all. He fights with 'Mac' who bests him and agrees to leave Sally alone but adds that he will make Stan pay if he hurts Sally.

Vi marries Chuck and Letty hopes Mario will propose though he is scared that the imprisoned Sid may drop him in it. However, during an abortive bombing raid Chuck has to bail out after being hit. Mario returns home but his plane is on fire and explodes, killing him. Helen lies to Ronnie about working late in order to sneak off for a meeting with Kiley who takes her to a country pub where they are not known.

Red persuades the grieving Vi to come out of her room and get back to work whilst Stanley returns to his regiment, saying he never wants to see Sally again, thus allowing her to revive her friendship with Mac. New flyers arrive at the base including Billy Colvero though Hymie believes he is not being honest about himself. Land-girl Patricia is shocked to learn that Ronnie knows about Helen and Kiley but is doing nothing. Patricia forces a confrontation with the major, who tells her he loves Helen and believes the feeling is mutual. Nonetheless he promises Ronnie that he will apply for a transfer to another town.

Patricia leaves to work in London and Helen gets a letter from Kiley, saying they should not see each other for a while. Ronnie still keeping quiet about his conversation with the major. Kiley and Helen meet in the hospital though he ignores her. Billy dates Rosie, having bet Hymie and Elmer he will get his way with her though she slaps his face for being fresh. Peter leaves school to work in the pub, annoying his father, who feels he should join up. Mundy himself tries to enlist but is rejected as too old. He gets drunk and Peter, seeing his father as vulnerable, opens up to him and announces his own decision to join up.

Peter makes his father proud by signing up. Billy however is revealed to be only fifteen and is grounded before being returned to America. Hymie takes Rosie to say goodbye to him but accidentally lets slip that Billy is under-age though Rosie tells Elmer she knew all along. Vi believes she is pregnant and Major Kiley ends up wounded in Helen's hospital after undertaking a mission with Mac. Mac and Sally's happiness is interrupted when an embittered Ruby turns up to say that Stanley has definitely been killed this time and accusing them of driving him to his death.

Kiley gets an infection and Helen stays at his bedside all night, annoying Ronnie who wanted her to go to London and fetch Patricia, who has rung home in some distress. Helen claims she cannot leave her patient and the major wakes to find her standing beside him. Ruby tries to slander Mac and is told off by Jack but Mac still feels guilty to be stepping into a dead man's shoes despite his feelings for Sally. Hymie and Elmer take Peter out and get him drunk. On his return Vera is angry but her husband defends him, saying that he is now a man.

Ruby snatches Sally's children, leaving her a note calling her an unfit mother, which galvanizes Mac into action as he gets them back and is reconciled with Sally. There is a happy ending too for Vi as the missing Chuck returns. Patricia also comes back to her parents, after an unhappy love affair which brings her closer to her mother. As Peter goes off to war Letty starts dating airman Johnny Wyatt, a shopkeeper's son, of whom her father approves. However after a row with her mother about her baby Letty runs off into the night and is found by Helen and Kiley. They take her to hospital where her child is born and her father seems proud. The war in Europe is coming to an end and the airmen fly off to take part in the final onslaught on Berlin, Kiley telling Helen they will meet again.