Christmas 1941 and the nurses at the Nightingale are facing their toughest winter yet. With shortages everywhere, and every news bulletin announcing more defeats and losses, the British people are weary and demoralised and The Nightingale Hospital is suffering too. Millie is recently widowed and dealing with the demands of her family's estate. It's not long before her old world of The Nightingale begins to beckon, along with a long-lost love... Jess is struggling with her move from East London to the quiet of the countryside. Effie finds herself exiled to a quiet village, but the quiet doesn't last for long as she soon finds excitement in the shape of a smooth-talking GI. As Christmas approaches, even the shelter of the countryside can't protect the girls from heartache.