Recently demobbed after serving in the WAAF, Dorothy Needham learns of the disappearance of Sarah, her favourite Aunt since early childhood. As she is seemingly the only family member who is concerned for Sarah's wellbeing, she sets out to discover her whereabouts.

Initial inquiries take her to Orléans and Paris, where she finds herself at a dead end.

Back in England, she enjoys the support and encouragement of her old friends Kate and Jack Farthing, and she learns something remarkable about herself.

A chance meeting with the mother of another old friend, Alan Lofthouse, leads to another reunion and another clue regarding Aunt Sarah's journey. The search moves to war-scarred Hanover and Lüneburg, and together they continue the quest despite poor communications, grudging co-operation, and open hostility, with Dorothy determined to find out if her aunt managed to survive the ordeal of the concentration camp.