Spain 1936 The Spanish civil war has been raging for three long and bloody months, and the capital, Madrid, is saturated with foreign journalists and writers reporting on the city they believe will fall to the fascist generals that started the uprising against the democratically elected government in July. The world has turned its back on Spain and its population. A non-intervention agreement has been signed by the League of Nations; no country is to send help or equipment to either side. All member countries sign the agreement, but Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany ignore it and secretly send men and equipment to help the Generals. In the end Russia reluctantly sends help to the Republican government, but they expect to be paid for their assistance. Tom Lancaster, a British journalist, came to Spain to find his family, but when war broke out, he ended up staying and reporting from its beleaguered capital, Madrid. He lives in a sweet little Pension in the centre of the city where he is looked after by the landlady and her niece Maria, who are both trying to survive as best they can. Out of the blue, he is joined there by his childhood friend Bea, who takes the Republican cause to heart, and when she falls in love, she sets in motion a chain of events that will change the lives of the people around her forever. Meanwhile, Tom stumbles across a story he was never meant to find. Ignoring the warning signs to stop investigating, Tom is kidnapped, and in a small secluded house outside Madrid, after hours of interrogation, he witnesses the brutal murder of Bea. Months later, in Paris, whilst recovering from the attack, Bea's father tells Tom that she is still alive, and still in Madrid. Tom's search for Bea brings him back to a country ravaged by war, and where he hopes Maria is still alive and waiting for him.