Strangers in Time

Molly and Matron Tweedy inspect the boy Ignatius brought to the clinic, and they think his injuries look like he was beaten. Molly discovers Lonzo’s identity and recognizes him from Detective Willoughby’s pictures. Lonzo is alive but unconscious because his wounds are so severe. Molly asks about Charlie, but Lonzo can’t respond. 

Molly returns to The Book Keep with bandages and medicine, intent on helping Ignatius, but she can’t find him anywhere. She unlocks Imogen’s study, and in her curiosity, she reads some of Imogen’s manuscript and looks through the desk. She finds Ignatius’s George Medal, a photo of the happy couple, and a letter from Cornwall, which describes Imogen’s death by suicide. Molly hurriedly puts the letter back and picks up a George Sand novel, which, to her horror, is hollowed out.

Desdemona gestures to Molly through the window and introduces herself outside. Molly lies that she’s Ignatius’s cousin who works as a nurse nearby. Desdemona saw Ignatius leave the shop in the afternoon with a limp from the recent bombings. She questions Molly about the detective’s visit, and Molly questions her back about Imogen. Desdemona says that she and Imogen often butted heads, but her death was a tragedy. 

Desdemona acts coy about what she knows, but with some prodding, she reveals that Imogen secretly took a train to Cornwall and jumped into the sea. People saw her jump, but no one could recover her body. Ignatius was devastated and has lived alone ever since. Desdemona tells Molly to keep their conversation a secret, hinting that Ignatius has secrets of his own.

Later that evening, Ignatius returns and reminds Molly that he was out looking for Charlie. He received a reply from the War Office, but Molly tends to his wounds before they read it. Molly hesitates to open the letter, since she fears what it will say. They read the reply together and learn that her father is a fugitive.

Charlie applies for a telegram messenger job with Arthur Benedict. He lies that he’s 16 years old and named Ignatius Oliver. He also claims he has his own bike. Benedict quizzes Charlie on the fastest routes through the city and, impressed by Charlie’s knowledge, gives Charlie the job. 

Charlie brings a stolen bike to the post office and receives his uniform, after which Benedict explains the job’s duties. For his first day, Charlie shadows another boy, Peter Duckett. Peter tells him that he failed his military physical exam because he has a heart condition, and he sometimes feels shunned for not fighting in the war.

Charlie works a shift by himself, and at the end of the day, he bikes to The Book Keep. He watches his friends through the window and wishes he could talk to them. When he turns to leave, he comes face-to-face with Desdemona and quickly bikes away. He returns to Lonzo and Eddie’s hideout to sleep, but air raid sirens jolt him awake, and he waits out the bombing in a shelter. 

The next day, Benedict offers Charlie half of his wages early. Charlie learns to solicit business in front of hotels and develops a pitch, impressing Benedict. Charlie returns to his hideout, but he notices it’s been disturbed. He runs away with his belongings, and Detective Willoughby tries to stop him. On his bike, Charlie easily loses the detective, and Willoughby promises he won’t rest until he catches Charlie.

With Ignatius’s help, Molly posts a letter to the Beneficial Institute, and she gives him permission to ask Major Bryant more about her father’s crime. Weeks pass, and Ignatius has no leads on Charlie’s whereabouts. Molly shares her conversation with Desdemona about Imogen’s death. Ignatius reveals that Imogen lied about the purpose of her travels, so her death came as a shock. He wanted to go to Cornwall to learn more, but decided against it. Ignatius cries about Imogen, saying she was a complicated woman who couldn’t face the truth. His explanation worries Molly.

The next morning, Desdemona stops Molly in the alley, revealing that weeks ago she saw a boy lurking around the shop. Desdemona thinks it was the fugitive Detective Willoughby is looking for, but Molly lies that he’s a different boy. Desdemona describes the boy’s messenger’s uniform, and Molly thanks her for the information.

Ignatius prepares a large breakfast with their new rations. As they eat, Molly faces the reality that she’ll likely never see her parents again. She’s grateful for meeting Charlie and Ignatius, and Ignatius thanks Molly for helping him out of his isolation. 

The shop’s bell jingles, and Ignatius admits Major Scott Bryant. Bryant asks to speak with Molly alone and asks Molly about the last time she saw her father and about his correspondence, which was burned in the bombings. He admits that the War Office has been following Molly and visited her mother for answers about her father, but she was too unwell to answer questions. He tells Molly that her father used to work for the War Office and was placed undercover in the Ministry of Food when the war broke out. Mr. Wakefield disappeared after he murdered three British soldiers. The news horrifies Molly, who runs away crying.

Ignatius and Bryant speak about Mr. Wakefield’s crime, and Bryant offers to take Molly to an orphanage, but Ignatius refuses. They discuss the bombings and the Germans’ V-1 rocket program. Some V-2 bombs have already reached England, but the government is keeping it a secret. Bryant laments that Ignatius didn’t work for Bletchley Park, since he is so talented in cryptography.

Charlie bikes up to a brick house, delivers a telegram to a young woman, and waits for a reply. The woman reads the message in horror and suddenly hits Charlie. She faints, and Charlie calls for help. The woman’s parents rush to the door, and after Charlie explains what happened, they take the woman inside. The telegram is a soldier’s death notice from the Air Force. 

As Charlie bikes away, he thinks about how his mother must’ve received a similar telegram about his father. He finishes his work and collects his wages. He solicited a lot of business from rich Americans, so he has a large bonus. Charlie asks Benedict about the death notices, and Benedict confirms that the wording is standardized because there’s such a large volume of casualties.

Charlie bikes to his new lodgings in the basement of a half-collapsed building. He savors a slice of War Cake he bought with his mileage money. He writes in his journal as he thinks about the young woman’s loss and misses his family and friends. Charlie looks over the city from the roof. He considers how the war brought different classes together, but when the fighting is over, the rich and poor will be separated once again.

Ignatius enters Arthur Benedict’s office and asks about the telegram boys. Benedict claims no one named Charlie works for him, but he lets Ignatius look through his staff list. Ignatius sees his own name and pays for the boy to deliver a special telegram at the end of his shift. 

At work, Molly absentmindedly rolls up dirty bandages as she thinks about her father’s crime. She keeps herself busy by visiting Lonzo, though he’s still too weak to talk. In the afternoon, she picks up the post and finds a letter from the Beneficial Institute. In it, Dr. Stephens claims that her mother’s condition has deteriorated rapidly. When Molly returns to the clinic, she runs into Charlie—who is delivering a telegram—and Ignatius. Molly brings Charlie to see Lonzo.

At Lonzo’s bedside, Charlie reads Lonzo’s apology to Eddie, which gets a reaction. The boy slowly explains that the police beat him and threw him onto the street. Lonzo apologizes to Charlie, but Charlie only cares about comforting his friend. Charlie also apologizes to Molly for running away. 

Ignatius arrives with Major Bryant, who has Lonzo sign an official complaint against Detective Willoughby. Ignatius doesn’t want to press charges for the robbery, so Bryant leaves. Lonzo dies, and Charlie weeps for his friend.

After Lonzo’s funeral and Willoughby’s arrest, Ignatius, Molly, and Charlie sit in Imogen’s study. Molly recounts the Beneficial Institute’s letter and shares her desire to visit her mother. Suddenly, air raid sirens blare, and Ignatius escorts the children to a shelter. With the prospect of V-2 bombs, the government announced that above-ground shelters are no longer adequate, so Ignatius knocks on Desdemona’s door to bring her to safety. Desdemona doesn’t answer, so Ignatius forces himself inside, but he finds her stabbed to death in her basement.

Ignatius covers Desdemona’s body and continues his rounds. As he runs through the streets, British and German planes engage in a low dogfight. A German plane shoots at Ignatius, who dives into a nearby shop for cover. He sees the plane crash into a building. Ignatius returns to the shelter, and when the bombing stops, he brings the children home. He calls the police about Desdemona and explains the situation to Molly and Charlie. Molly’s eyes drift to a George Sand novel, and Ignatius senses her questions.

Days later, in the middle of the night, Cedric knocks on Ignatius’s window, and they speak quietly in the study. Desdemona was preparing to alert the police about Ignatius, and Cedric hints that he killed her. Cedric scolds Ignatius for not being direct enough in his encryptions—the location of the D-Day operation took Germany by surprise. The Nazis are losing ground, so Ignatius hands over a copy of George Sand’s Jacques with new intelligence inside. Cedric opens the door to leave, but Molly and Charlie stand in his way.