It's the early 1940s in small town Ontario. Sixteen year old Jeannie Dougall is slightly dim, naive and lacks any self-confidence, immersing herself in the romantic lives of characters she sees on the movie screen as witnessed by the pictures she has plastered on her bedroom wall. Anything that Jeannie tries that is new or different is usually a result of being egged on by her more experienced best friend, Dolly, who flaunts her burgeoning sexuality. Jeannie lives with her working class parents, Jim and Mary Dougall, Scottish immigrants who live by their conservative and religious beliefs. Jim is a member of the Honor Guard, and has a view that anyone who wears a uniform in service to the country, such as his and Mary's son Jimmie Dougall, is to be admired regardless. Jimmie's non-battle service in Canada is in munitions requisitions. One day, Jeannie announces to her mother that she believes she's pregnant from what was her only sexual encounter to date: being raped by Jimmie's soldier friend Billy when they had a few days leave during the summer. Unlike Dolly, Jeannie didn't have the power or the wherewithal to deal with drunken Billy, and was scared of the aftermath when Billy and Jimmie skulked away in the middle of the night without a word of goodbye due to Billy's act. While Mary has some sympathy for her daughter, Jim, not caring about the details, only sees in his daughter a whore who has brought shame to the family if the truth were ever to emerge, she who cannot ever be married as a wanton woman. What Jim does in dealing with the issue is all in an effort to protect what he sees as his own good name among his friends without any regard for Jeannie's life or her future, she who doesn't truly understand the consequences until she is faced with it directly in real terms.