A mysterious telegram: 'Lily needs you' is received just before a plane from war-wracked England lands in one of Sophie Greenman's paddocks.Sophie, Countess of Shillings, has been living a quiet life on her property in Australia, until love and loyalty draws her back to Shillings Hall where she trained to become one of Miss Lily's 'Lovely Ladies'. Now, in 1942, Shillings Hall is training women to become espionage agents. Sophie's mission? To seek out disaffected German officers prepared to kill Hitler. Across Europe women like Sophie, or Parisian couturier Violette, or Hannelore, German Prinzessin and spy, must determine where their deepest loyalty lies. And as Europe slowly disintegrates, Miss Lily must also decide her final fate.