Mattie has been saving her money for nursing school to escape her abusive father and mentally unstable mother. There are the rare good moments, especially those with her handsome young boss, but it's the 1930s and Mattie knows that nice guys don't marry "damaged goods." Each time her life seems to edge toward normalcy, something happens. When the United States enters WWII, Mattie becomes a nurse, but being a nurse in wartime was something she wasn't prepared for.