Adrian Mitchell has created a vibrant and topical text with songs. War breaks out and the town of Arden is under siege. On their sixteenth birthday and liable for military call-up, Betsy and Arlo Swados decide to flee to a neutral country but on the journey Arlo is killed. Betsy and the townspeople rebel against the racist gangster who has taken over the town and Arlo's funeral turns into a celebration for peace.