Sarah Lintern loves to fly. It's her passion and her escape from the stresses and problems of everyday life, of a demanding job and a ticking clock. Flying is in the family, and her American grandmother Nancy was a member of the Auxiliary Air Transport in England during the war. Now close to death, Nancy asks Sarah for a special favour: to return a medal to 'Mac' Mackenzie, or his family. Against a background of constant danger, Nancy and Mac had fallen in love, drawn together by an attraction that was too powerful to resist. Both knew their affair would end in heartbreak, but neither realised how it would reverberate down the years. Nancy mistakenly believed that keeping her secrets would protect her family; instead, half-truths almost tore it apart.

As Sarah searches for Mac she also learns the answer to many previously unanswered questions, such as why her mother is reluctant to go home to Florida, and why her uncle has such an enormous chip on his shoulder. But mistaken assumptions have come about because of the veil of secrecy, and the answers are not always the ones that are expected.