Allenstein, East Prussia, 1939 - Charlotte von Datski's parents hold a glittering ball to celebrate her eighteenth birthday and to announce her engagement to a Prussian Count. But Hitler is about to plunge the world into war - Charlotte is forced to leave flee to England. Years on, Charlotte's granddaughter, Laura, persuades her grandmother to embark on a journey into her past. As Charlotte recalls the one great love of her life, she finally faces the demons that have haunted her for over half a century.