When her dear friend O Be Joyful died in a flu epidemic, Mrs. Mike Flanigan opened her home-and her heart-to her orphaned child, Kathy Forquet. But as the terrors of World War II drew closer, Kathy decided to leave this familiar home to do her part and become a nurse. Out in the world, her life fills with drama and excitement as she meets two very different men. And as she learns about herself and the world beyond her hometown, she searches for the elusive prize she has sought for so long: the meaning of true joy...