Hetty survives the bombing of Portsmouth by the Nazis in World War II, only to learn that her soldier husband has died in action. The pair were in the process of adopting a daughter; now Hetty must see through the process alone. A decade later she gives birth to an unexpected child, Margeurite, and must face a tribunal to prove she is fit to be a mother. From there, The Late Child tells the story of mother and daughter, a generational autobiography written by legendary punk diva and award-winning poet Marguerite Van Cook and adapted by Eisner winner James Romberger.