Tuscany, January 1943.Nurse Isolina Donatelli and her fourteen-year-old daughter, Sofia, live in the hills surrounding Florence. Most of Europe remains firmly in the grip of war, although the idyllic setting of Tuscany is currently shielded from the conflict. Mussolini and his black shirts cling on to power, but that is all about to change – as is the direction of the war itself. This will almost certainly place Isolina and Sofia nearer to the conflict, initiating a violent struggle for survival.Isolina has tried to keep the war at arm's length. Her only objective is to keep Sofia safe, but that is being jeopardised by the demands others are making on her. Her life is suddenly filled with Nazis, Fascists, spies, ex-lovers and persuasive friends. Each request takes Isolina and Sofia closer to the looming danger fast approaching. A desperate, resentful, retreating German army is becoming ruthless, handing out brutal punishments to every civilian population it encounters. It is just a matter of time before both Isolina and her daughter are swallowed up by the tidal wave of madness coming their way.