Grizel Dane, a bold young servicewoman in the US army, arrives at the London home of her great-uncle Sir Rollo Dane seeking a refuge in the chaos of wartime. Through the old man, Grizel learns the surprising history of the Dane family and Lark Ingoldsby.

Orphaned by a train crash, Lark was taken in by the Danes as an adoptive daughter but soon found herself caught in a web of sibling rivalry, love and attrition. When Grizel falls for Pax Masterson, a wounded airman, her great-uncle urges her to seize her chance for happiness as he was himself unable to do. Rumer Godden's dramatic story of romance and tragedy inspired the classic film Enchantment starring David Niven.