Following the success of series one, acclaimed British actresses Samantha Bond (Downton Abbey, Outnumbered) and Francesca Annis (The Little House, Cranford) are reunited with the impressive ensemble cast including Ruth Gemmell (Penny Dreadful), Claire Rushbrook (Whitechapel), Ed Stoppard (Cilla), Chris Coghill (EastEnders), Clare Calbraith (Vera), Fenella Woolgar (War & Peace), Mark Bazeley (The Frankenstein Chronicles), Mike Noble (Mr Selfridge), and Daniel Ryan (Mount Pleasant).

It's the summer of 1940 and the village of Great Paxford is caught up in the nightmare of the Battle of Britain. Two weeks after the defeat at Dunkirk, the German army is advancing through France and Britain is bracing itself for invasion.

Throughout the series the residents at the heart of this rural Cheshire community face their own personal challenges and conflicts as reputations are tarnished, loved ones lost, and shocking secrets are discovered.

The women, under the auspices of the Great Paxford Women's Institute, unite and discover inner resources that will change their lives forever whilst helping maintain the nation's fabric in its darkest hour.