Johnny Dunne doesn't want to return to the orphanage - even though he works long hours in Balbriggan's Mill Hotel. Also living at the Mill is Alice Goodman, the impulsive, good-natured daughter of the owner. Alice's friend is Stella Radcliffe, daughter of the Commanding Officer at the nearby RAF Gormanston. With the War of Independence raging, the RAF is transferring from Gormanston to Baldonnel, and Gormanston Camp is being prepared for its new role as the headquarters of the dreaded Black and Tans. Stella is pro-British, Johnny is pro-independence, and Alice is somewhere in between, yet a friendship has developed between the three children. But Johnny's secret role, spying for the IRA on the Crown forces who frequent the hotel, puts him in danger. And Stella and Alice have difficult decisions to make - choices that threaten their lives, when the Black and Tans run amok during a murderous night of vengeance.
