When Eleanor Atherton graduates from medical school near the top of her class in 1917, she dreams of going overseas to help the wounded, but her ambition is thwarted at every turn. Nevertheless, when an unexpected twist of fate sends Eleanor to the battlefields of France as the private doctor of a British peer, she seizes the chance to prove herself. But a casualty clearing station close to the front lines is an unforgiving place. Facing sceptical commanders, scores of wounded men, underhanded efforts by her family to bring her home, and a blossoming romance, Eleanor must take fight for what she wants.