Selina Penaluna is a merrymaid or so she believes . . . Ellen and Jack are evacuated from London to Cornwall during the Second World War. Ellen relishes the opportunity to better herself. Jack is different. He finds the attention from his new family stifling and seeks freedom in the arms of Selina, the mysterious local girl he sees at the shore. Selina, Ellen and Jack's lives are intertwined in a series of events that lead to tragedy.