The White Cliffs of Dover 1944

During the height of World War II, American-born Susan, Lady Ashwood, [Irene Dunne] is a nurse in a British hospital, patiently awaiting the arrival of hundreds of wounded servicemen. Through a poignant flashback, she revisits the events that brought her to Britain many years earlier and the life she built there.

In 1914, Susan travels with her father, Hiram P. Dunn, a Rhode Island newspaper publisher, to Britain with hopes of a brief visit that would be over quickly. There, they are introduced to Old Colonel Forsythe, [C. Aubrey Smith], who helps her meet Sir John Ashwood, [Alan Marshal], a baronet with a grand estate. Despite some initial friction over an American marrying into a landed family, Susan and John fall in love and marry, beginning a shared life that bridges two nations.

Their honeymoon is abruptly interrupted by the outbreak of World War I. John, an army officer, rejoins his regiment and heads to France, leaving Susan and John’s mother, Lady Jean, [Gladys Cooper], to wait for news. John’s brother Reggie, [John Warburton], is killed in action, deepening the family’s sorrow. The couple do manage to steal a few days together in Dieppe before the war takes another toll, and around this time the United States declares war on Germany, pulling America into the conflict as well.

After the war, Susan returns to Britain and gives birth to a son named John. She, baby John, and Colonel Forsythe observe the arrival of American troops marching through London, a reminder of the international reach of the conflict that changed their lives. John is killed near the end of the fighting, never having the chance to reunite with his wife or meet their son, leaving Susan to shoulder the memory and responsibility of their shared history.

Back at the family estate, Susan and young John—who grows up under the shadow of his father’s legacy—live with Lady Jean, and the baronetcy passes to John as he is now the head of the household, often addressed as “Sir John”. He develops a childhood crush on Betsy Kenney, [Elizabeth Taylor], daughter of a tenant farmer, a detail that foreshadows the long arc of affection and duty that threads through generations. As time passes, Betsy’s life takes on new dimensions: she is later portrayed as a young woman, and the plane of her world broadens when she appears as Betsy Kenney at Age 18, [June Lockhart], who becomes a Wren during the coming years.

In the manor, the siblings and residents carry on with their lives, including moments when John invites two visiting German boys to tea, a scene that exposes the tensions and surprises of a world on the brink of further conflict. The story also touches on the diverse cast and settings around the Ashwood estate, from the boardinghouse to Dieppe, and the long memory of a family that has seen both world wars up close.

As another war looms, Susan fears for her son’s safety as she once feared losing her husband. Yet, the family remains steadfast, choosing to stay in Britain despite pressures to relocate. The narrative returns to the hospital, where a wounded John is brought in during the current conflict—the same person whose earlier youth and later adulthood have threaded through Susan’s memories. A doctor explains that John is dying after injuries sustained in Dieppe, and he speaks of a complete victory and a lasting peace as American troops parade once more through London. In that moment, Susan finds a quiet, painful pride as she watches the soldiers pass and witnesses the end of a chapter, even as John’s life slips away.