If Winter Comes

Mark Sabre learns that his former sweetheart Nona Tybar is back in Penny Green and his spirits lift at the thought of renewed romance. Nona is married to Tony Tybar, yet she remains in love with Mark, creating a delicate tension. Mabel, ever the social realist, nudges Mark to spend time with Nona, hoping he will choose his future.

As the threat of war grips the town, Tony Tybar is called up for military service. Mark attempts to enlist himself, but a doctor discovers a heart condition that prevents him from serving. The rejection deepens his frustration and shifts the focus of his life toward personal choices rather than combat.

Nona leaves Penny Green to join the Women's Auxiliary Air Force, pursuing a sense of duty amid mounting personal conflict. Her departure leaves Mark with a lingering hope but also a sense of distance. The war effort begins to redefine their relationships and priorities.

Effie Bright, disowned by her father for becoming pregnant, turns to Mark for help and shelter. He welcomes her into his home while he searches for a better arrangement, hoping to do the right thing. The town immediately smells scandal and begins its social scrutiny of Mark’s actions.

Effie’s presence creates a community uproar and Mark is denounced for impropriety. The morals clause at his job lands him in trouble, costing him his position. The personal cost escalates as Effie bears the heavy burden of public suspicion.

Mabel abandons Mark, convinced he fathered Effie’s baby, and serves Effie with divorce papers as co-respondent. The marriage fractures publicly, and the scandal bleeds into every corner of Penny Green. Mark's social standing deteriorates as gossip intensifies.

Effie, overwhelmed by mental strain and isolation, takes her own life by poisoning herself. The tragedy reverberates through the town as it shatters Mark’s already fragile standing. The context of her desperation leaves a bitter aftertaste in the community’s memory.

An inquest is opened to determine Effie’s cause of death, drawing witnesses who recount rumors of a possible sexual relationship between Mark and Effie. The atmosphere is heavy with judgement, and the town’s appetite for scandal threatens to consume all involved. The procedure reveals how rumor can shape verdicts as much as fact.

Nona appears at the inquest and speaks in Mark’s defense, arguing for his character and integrity. She reminds the court of Tony Tybar’s death and of the lens through which the events should be viewed. Her testimony adds a humane counterpoint to the surrounding gossip.

The inquest concludes that Effie’s death was a suicide and censures Mark for his conduct. The verdict reinforces the town’s moral judgments and cemented Mark’s fall from social grace. The personal consequences linger long after the formal decision.

Back home, Mark finds a note from Effie naming her lover as Harold Twyning, the son of one of his former coworkers. The discovery fuels Mark’s anger and sense of betrayal, complicating his already fragile emotional state. The letter becomes a tangible scion of the past’s secrets.

Mark travels to Harold Twyning’s father to confront him about the alleged affair, only to meet a grief-stricken man who has just learned his son was killed in the war. The encounter reframes Mark’s anger into pity and restraint. He chooses not to escalate the situation further.

As Mark stands ready to burn Effie’s letter, he collapses from a heart attack, a potent reminder of the body’s fragility amid emotional turmoil. The incident brings weeks of convalescence and solitude for Mark. The incident marks a pause before any next steps in his life.

Weeks pass as Mark recovers, and Nona returns to his side, suggesting a renewed presence in his life. The two navigate the aftermath of tragedy together, their bond tempered by the year’s brutal events. The social storm around them begins to settle, at least briefly.

Mark and Nona burn Effie’s letter together, choosing to close the painful chapter. The act symbolizes a decision to move beyond gossip and personal grievance toward a quieter, more private future. The film closes on a note of fragile endurance amid ongoing war.