Strangers in Time

Ignatius and Major Bryant agree to reveal everything to the children, ignoring classified designations. In the Secret Service, Bryant oversees a counter-espionage scheme in which British agents feed false information to German spies. Ignatius explains that Imogen first got involved in spying after the Paternoster Row bombing. Her father was a well-connected statesman, so Imogen was recruited by the Germans. She worked for them, hoping that, in a roundabout way, her treachery would help England avoid invasion.

After Ignatius almost died while on duty, Imogen confronted the fact that her actions were wrong and confessed to him. She asked Ignatius to join her, but rather than work for the Germans, they worked against them. Imogen introduced Ignatius to Cedric and got him established as a loyal spy, though they handed off all the information to Bryant. 

Charlie and Molly share that they had investigated Ignatius and Cedric on their own, which impresses Ignatius and Bryant. Bryant let Cedric go after he witnessed Ignatius’s fake death, hoping Cedric will send the new fake information to the Nazis. Bryant leaves, and Ignatius apologizes.

The next night, Molly and Charlie sit silently at dinner after both having troubling days. Charlie leaves the meal early to be by himself. Molly hesitantly shares her theory that her father killed the soldiers as reparations for her mother’s attack. She worries her father is dead, too. 

Molly wakes in the night to see Charlie writing in his journal. Charlie doesn’t want Molly to read his writing, but they express their gratitude for being friends. Charlie reads his entry to himself and says goodnight to a picture of his family. Hours later, a phone call wakes them.

Ignatius answers a phone call from Dr. Stephens, who asks for Molly. The doctor informs Molly that her mother asked for her, and she should visit as soon as possible. Molly promises to travel to Cornwall immediately. Dr. Stephens then asks to speak with Ignatius. He informs Ignatius that Imogen died on the Institute’s grounds, but he would rather explain in person. 

Charlie remembers that he still has the keys to the Wakefields’ Singer, which they can use to drive to Cornwall. Major Bryant arranges travel papers and a map, and he has the car filled with gas. Molly and Charlie take time off work, and Ignatius closes the shop. Ignatius drives, Molly navigates, and Charlie sits in the backseat as they embark on their journey.

Travel to Cornwall moves slowly due to damaged roads and military checkpoints. The group stops near a prisoner of war camp where Germans perform manual labor under American supervision. As they continue, military security gets stricter, and two soldiers stop the car. Even after reading their papers, the soldiers tell Ignatius to turn around. As a last-ditch effort, Ignatius shows them his George Medal, and they agree to let the car go through. Molly sees the Channel peeking through the trees as they approach the Beneficial Institute.

Ignatius, Molly, and Charlie are led to Dr. Stephens’s office, and he escorts Molly to her mother’s room. Her mother looks so different that it startles Molly. She sits down near the bed and calls out to her mother, and after a few tries, Mrs. Wakefield opens her eyes and sees her. Molly reminds her mother of who she is, and Mrs. Wakefield smiles and falls back asleep. Molly asks about the scars on her mother’s head, but Dr. Stephens says he’ll explain later. He offers the group the use of the visitors’ cottage so they can stay nearby.

Ignatius, Molly, and Charlie meet with Dr. Stephens and his colleague, Dr. Foyle. Molly immediately asks about her mother’s symptoms, which Dr. Foyle explains are side effects of her treatments. He describes the two lobotomies Mrs. Wakefield underwent, which were meant to manipulate her brain to eradicate violent behavior. However, Mrs. Wakefield didn’t respond to the treatments, and she still has occasional outbursts. Molly’s mother also has an incurable kidney disease, which leaves her with only two weeks to live. 

Molly asks about her father, but the doctors say he hasn’t visited in a while. Government men came asking about him, and when he found out, he changed the address for his correspondence to Scotland. Molly offers to help the psychiatric hospital’s nurses while she awaits her mother’s death. Dr. Stephens promises to tell Ignatius about Imogen in the morning. On the walk back to the cottage, Ignatius shares his condolences with Molly.

Molly follows a nurse on her rounds, and the mental illness she sees disturbs her. She comes across Dr. Foyle exiting a surgery covered in blood. Dr. Foyle’s father, a veteran, was a patient in the Institute after World War I. His father witnessed all his friends die, and the trauma completely altered his behavior. Dr. Foyle asks about what happened to Molly’s mother, and Molly describes the attack, which helps explain the woman’s behavior. Dr. Foyle wishes they had more effective treatments.

Ignatius and Charlie help around the Institute while Dr. Stephens is away in London. Charlie looks across the Channel in wonder, and Ignatius reminisces about his time in France as a student. Days later, Dr. Stephens returns and speaks with Ignatius. He says that Imogen came to the Institute for help, but Dr. Stephens determined that her condition wasn’t severe enough for their radical treatments. He gave Imogen some instructions on how to handle her worries, and she appeared stable when she left. Dr. Stephens then shows Ignatius the exact spot where Imogen jumped into the sea.

Later, Ignatius meets Dr. Foyle, who witnesses Imogen’s death. He called out to stop her, and she turned to speak with him. Imogen felt she was beyond redemption, and she gave Dr. Foyle an apologetic message for Ignatius before she jumped. Ignatius walks out to the cliff and imagines his wife’s decision. He thinks about Molly and Charlie and walks away. Dr. Foyle watches from a distance and invites Ignatius for a drink.

Molly reads to her mother every day and talks about happier times. She wonders if she could bring her mother back to London, and she contacts her rich relatives in Yorkshire, who agree to finance the journey. She brings Charlie with her to tell her mother, but when Mrs. Wakefield opens her eyes, she attacks the children. The doctors join Molly after sedating her mother, and Dr. Stephens reassures her that the outburst wasn’t her fault, but he thinks Mrs. Wakefield should stay in Cornwall. Molly retires to bed, clutching a picture of her mother.

Molly avoids her mother for the next few days and thinks about the suffering she sees at the hospital. In the middle of the night, she can’t sleep, so she visits her mother’s room, but she finds the door unlocked and her mother gone. She rouses Charlie and Ignatius, who find Molly’s father placing her mother in the passenger seat of a car. Mr. Wakefield is surprised to see Molly, and she confronts him with what she knows. He says that he didn’t write to Molly because he didn’t want to implicate her as an accomplice.

Molly’s mother was raped by British soldiers in the bomb shelter, but Scotland Yard wouldn’t pursue the case because it would look bad. The government gave Mr. Wakefield advice to help his wife move on, but he knew she would never be the same. He decided to take justice into his own hands, and after tracking the soldiers down, he killed them. He plans to take his wife to a safe place where they can live out their days together. 

Ignatius tries to stop them from leaving, but Mr. Wakefield pulls out a gun. Molly calls for him to stop, and her mother jumps out of the car. Ignatius and Molly pull Mrs. Wakefield to safety as they hear police sirens. Molly’s father speeds away, and in the distance, Molly hears a crash.

Three days after Mr. Wakefield’s fatal crash, Molly’s mother passes away. Molly’s relatives pay for her parents’ funeral and offer to support her through university. Molly chooses to stay in London instead and work until the war ends. The bombings slow as Allied forces gain more ground, and by New Year’s Day 1945, citizens are hopeful the war will soon end. 

One evening, air raid sirens sound, and Charlie, Molly, and Ignatius split up as Ignatius goes on his rounds. Molly and Charlie huddle together in a shelter as V-2 bombs explode. Charlie talks about his plans to travel the world to distract Molly. Outside, Ignatius forces himself into the house of a couple who didn’t arrive at the shelter. Seeing the couple isn’t home, Ignatius runs back to the shelter, but as he turns the corner, a V-2 bomb hits him.

A solicitor explains Ignatius’s will to Molly and Charlie, which leaves them equal shares of The Book Keep and enough money to keep the shop open. Ignatius wanted the children to have a home no matter what. Molly and Charlie meet Ignatius’s brother Francis and Major Bryant at the funeral. Bryant tells Molly that the three murdered soldiers committed other crimes and are going to be court-martialed. He also explains that Ignatius chose to be an air warden because he didn’t want to be separated from Imogen. Molly thanks Bryant and feels grateful for having known Ignatius. 

Later, Molly and Charlie sit together, though the house feels strange without Ignatius. They speak of their plans to live together with her relatives, the Tinsdales. Molly regrets that she didn’t tell Ignatius how brave he was, but Charlie thinks he knew how much they loved him.

Molly, now 51 years old, sits in The Book Keep’s study and pens a letter to the Tinsdales. She has a family of her own and is a certified psychiatrist. She chose the field in her mother’s honor, and with modern medicine, Molly’s patients avoid the painful treatments her mother endured. Molly looks at Imogen’s manuscript, which she completed and plans to publish. She takes a break to survey the bookstore, which is busy with customers. 

Molly looks at a picture of Charlie and his family, who live in Australia. Charlie traveled the world and wrote about it in his personal journals, and the pair keeps in touch weekly. Molly regularly visits the graves of her family, Charlie’s family, and Ignatius. The study, despite its changes, reminds Molly of the war years.

Molly leaves the shop and walks through the city, thinking about the major world events that have happened since the war. Much of Molly’s psychiatric practice involves alleviating anxieties about nuclear war, and her experiences in World War II help her relate to her clients. She walks past the place where Ignatius died and remembers the night she and Charlie found his remains. Molly believes the grief she continues to feel for Ignatius shows just how much she loved him. She stops and looks up at the sky, thinking about how she was able to endure the hardship of war with the help of her friends.