Living away from the poverty that surrounds her in the Stationmaster's cottage at Partick, Carrie Burgess leads a charmed life. Her only real problem is her mother, who thinks her daughter could do better than Ewen Livingstone, the railway labourer Carrie's in love with; Matt Campbell, a clerk, seems a much better prospect. When Carrie's father dies suddenly, the women are forced to move out of their cottage, and money is tight. Carrie ignores her true feelings and, turning down Ewen, she marries Matt. But his devoted front conceals a man of violence. When the Second World War starts, everything changes, but Carrie remains sure of one thing: that her heart will always belong to Ewen...