The narrative centers on the 'Blitz', the aerial bombardment of London in World War II. McQueen presents the grim realities of war through the eyes of Rita, a single mother residing with her son George and her father in a working-class area. Concerned for his safety, she decides to send her young son to the countryside, but he is reluctant to leave and refuses to bid her farewell at the railway station. In a moment of defiance, George leaps from the slowly moving train and makes his way back to London, but his journey home is fraught with various challenges that hinder their long-awaited reunion.