Molly Dawes is a feisty east London girl with a load of friends and a constant hangover from all the drinking she does. She works in a nail bar by day and clubs by night, but when she discovers that her unemployed dad has come up with a dodgy scheme which means Molly will be forced to marry her boyfriend whom she knows has slept with her best friend, she decides it's time for a change.

Molly finds the discipline of army training a shock to her system. She can't understand why you're not meant to answer back if you don't like what you're being told. But gradually she finds purpose and fulfilment as her training with Corporal Geddings challenges everything she ever held dear. Molly decides to join the Royal Army Medical Corps and finds her life will change forever.

Molly arrives in Afghanistan and has to prove herself to her new platoon. Meanwhile, she is surprised to meet an old flame, Smurf, who is part of the regiment and who makes her life harder than it should be. Worse still, the haughty Captain James doesn't seem to notice how brilliant she is at her job. The challenge is on for Molly Dawes to prove her worth to him.

Molly strikes up a special friendship with a young Afghan girl. She has to learn that the army rules are there for a reason, and she cannot overstep the line emotionally and get too involved. Her brilliance in her job attracts more attention from Captain James, who might actually harbour a flame for her. Molly has no idea that he feels any attraction towards her, but secretly she adores him.

Molly returns home on rest and relaxation, to find that her life and perspective on the world has changed beyond measure since she has been away. Her family can see that they are growing apart. When she visits fellow squaddie, Smurf, they bond over their shared difficulties in this new domesticity and both wish they were back in Afghanistan.

As the platoon pack up and prepare to withdraw from the Afghan conflict, Molly finds herself at the centre of a surprising and emotionally charged love story between Captain James and Smurf both of whom declare their affections for her. What will Molly decide? As she tries to make the right choice, the political conflict raging outside the gates of Camp Bastion intrudes into Molly's world.