The shadow of war hangs over the village of Marston, and Becky worries that her hot-headed son Billy will enlist the army. Her daughter Michelle is another cause for concern - since her illness she has withdrawn into herself, and Becky fears she will never be able to find real happyness. And Becky is not even aware of the great danger which looms on the horizon in the shape of her wicked brother -in-law Richard Worrel, who is determined to use his own son to destroy Beck's family