The story begins during World War II with a 5-year-old Jilly, who lives in a small town in England. She makes friends with an evacuee from London, Alec, who is 8 years old. One night, Jilly hears a plane flying overhead, and it sounds like the engines are sputtering and failing. The next day, Alec takes her to where the plane crashed. The pilot is 18 years old abd British, and Jilly and Alec save his life. This creates a strong bond between the children, and even though life takes them in vastly different directions, they never forget each other. This was a nice, quick read; nothing too deep; with a predictable but sweet ending. ( )