Independent-minded journalist Seffy Blake falls instantly in love with the mysterious Amyas Troy when they meet on an idyllic beach in Cornwall in 1937. But Amyas runs off to fight in Spain before he can fulfil his promise to marry her. Heartbroken Seffy returns to work at a national newspaper, working as assistant to Charlie Bradford, a renowned foreign correspondent. As her work takes her to Berlin and war-torn Spain, her path crosses with Amyas again, and her love remains undimmed. But a night on a bleak mountain in Spain changes her life forever, and Seffy needs to decide what is important.