Bruna is the youngest of seven children, living an idyllic life in a small village in Italy in the 1940s. The only complication is the fact that her father lives far away, forcing her mother to raise the family alone. As the Second World War unfolds in Europe their lives remain largely unchanged. In 1943, Bruna's biggest disappointment is that food rationing means there is no cake to celebrate her fourteenth birthday. The Italian leader Mussolini's allegiance with Hitler and the distant reports of fighting seem far away from their lives.

When war finally comes to their region, Bruna struggles to cope as her brothers become caught up in the resistance and Nazi soldiers descend to occupy their village. Bruna must help her mother and sisters stand up to the occupying soldiers. Her peaceful life is turned upside down by the fact that her beloved little village - the only front left defended by the Nazis in Italy - is now the center of the final stage of fighting.