Mrs. Otway is the widow living in an idyllic, rural town in southern England. She has raised her only daughter with the help of a German servant, Anna, who has been housekeeper, cook and nanny all in one. Anna is hard-working and loyal, but also has worries about providing for herself in case she loses her job. When WWI breaks out, the neighbors start looking suspiciously at the German staying in the household and Anna is torn between well-wishing for her adopted family and patriotic enthusiasm for the virtues of her native country.