During WW II, a young German woman is separated from her family and imprisoned by the Nazis. After being freed she falls in love with and marries a German officer. When Berlin falls to the Russians, and her husband killed, she flees to America, carrying his unborn child, all the while not giving up hope that she will find her family, tied together by her mother's ring...

Louisa Durrell, dont le mari est mort il y a quelques années déjà, est bientôt sans le sou. Mère de 4 enfants qui lui compliquent bien l’existence, elle décide de quitter la Grande-Bretagne et emmène sa famille à Corfou, en Grèce.