A fourteen-year-old orphan living in the East End of London during 1944 who survives by stealing food and supplies to support himself and his grandmother. Having barely survived the Blitz, he avoids school and authorities while counting down the days until he is old enough to enlist and fight the Germans.

A fifteen-year-old girl from a wealthy Chelsea family who returns to London after spending five years evacuated in the countryside under Operation Pied Piper. Expecting a reunion with her family, she instead finds her home empty and her parents missing, leaving her adrift in a city she barely recognizes.

The widowed owner of a bookshop called The Book Keep who is deeply grieving the recent loss of his wife, Imogen. He becomes an unlikely protector and ally to Charlie and Molly, offering them sanctuary in his shop while hiding personal secrets that could endanger their newfound family.