Victoria Wood stars in this poignant drama about an ordinary woman whose life is transformed by the Second World War.

In a true story based on a Mass Observation diary, housewife Nella Last is trapped in a difficult marriage and dreads her beloved son going away to fight at the outbreak of war.

Struggling with depression and fearing a breakdown, she draws strength from writing a diary, putting down on paper all the things she dare not say to her controlling husband (David Threfall). Meanwhile the support and companionship she finds at the Women's Voluntary Service, in particular from the formidable Mrs Waite (Stephanie Cole), bring joy and liberation and help diminish her 'nerves'.

Unexpected conflict with her son Cliff, the demise of a marriage and the blossoming of female friendships add to this moving portrait of an ordinary woman at war...