Seen through the eyes of a young boy, John, we experience the highs and lows of growing up in war time Britain. Humour is a vital element to sustain people through traumas but a family can only take so much.John befriends American soldiers who are billeted in the family's hotel.One of them is a Charlie, a black soldier from New York who was a jazz musician before the war. He helps John to face up to many of the problems the war is creating within his family.The soldiers have their own pressures to deal with as they wait for "D"Day and racism is one of them..Then there is the young German Jewish boy who is trying to come to terms with his own personal trauma.John tries to protect him from fascist elements amongst the bully boys but it's an uphill struggle. In contrast to the dark side of war we see how the human spirit can sour and rise above adversity. After the deepest dark night the dawn is always the brightest.The story is based on true events.