Nell Hope’s dreams of becoming an artist are dashed when Hitler invades Poland. She is ordered to return home to Australia, from Paris, by her grazier father and swaps her paint brush for riding boots. Young farmer Alec Murray is committed to fight the impending Nazi threat and enlists in the army.

Nell and Alec meet in the hyper charged atmosphere of pre-war Sydney and fall in love. Their courtship is cut short when war is declared, and Alec is forced to abandon his new farm in western NSW.

The young couple are both changed by their traumatic experiences of the war, as were many of their circle, including a friend’s husband who became violent and abusive. Together they are determined to create a fairer, more equitable society, driven by an idealistic vision of a new Australia. With Nell’s encouragement, Alec accepts Ben Chifley’s challenge to stand for Labor in one of the safest conservative seats in the country.