Women in Great Britain have to be quite creative in the kitchen. The war is raging outside the windows and submarines have cut off food supplies, so everyone has to get by with little. The radio program On the kitchen front, which broadcasts imaginative recipes from available ingredients, announces a cooking competition for the position of the first female co-host. For four very different women, it would mean the chance of a lifetime.

A young widow would be able to pay off her husband's debts. Kuchtička could leave the service and stand on her own two feet. A lady from a lavish estate would be able to escape a despotic husband. And for a trained chef, it's simply a challenge.

Will the competition help unite the community, or will it divide it?