Since You Went Away

1943. US Army Captain Timothy Hilton going into service from a civilian life leaves his wife Anne Hilton, his seventeen year old daughter Jane Hilton and his preteen daughter Brig Hilton at home needing to adjust to a new life without him. With a reduced income, Anne is forced to let go of their faithful maid Fidelia, who nonetheless finds a way back into the house based on always being in the Hiltons' hearts, and take in a boarder. Wanting an officer to replace the officer that left, Anne lets the room to retired General William G. Smollett, an uncompromising man who doesn't like children and doesn't like dogs, mostly the Hiltons' bulldog Soda who seems to have taken a liking to him regardless. That uncompromising behavior is exemplified by his outward dislike of his paternal grandson, Corporal Bill Smollett - who he assumes hates him in return - as slightly awkward Bill, despite being an army brat and currently in the military, has never shown the aptitude of being an officer like him or Bill's now deceased father. Brig does her small part for the war effort, such as collecting junk as salvage. However, Jane, who is just reaching womanhood, cannot think of anything but men, fixating most specifically on longtime family friend, her father's best man Tony Willett, who she and Brig have always referred to as "Uncle". Jane is at that stage in her life of transferring that affection she had for adults when she was younger mistakenly now into romantic love. Like Tim, Tony, an artist by trade, has entered the service as a Lieutenant in the Navy. In her fixation on Tony, Jane cannot see that Bill in turn is in love with her. As the war progresses, as people they know leave town to go into service - some into active battle - and as potential and actual personal tragedy hits people they know and themselves, Anne, General Smollett, Jane and Brig will have to make further adjustments to survive emotionally, with Jane and Brig perhaps growing up in the process for good or bad.