Perfect Strangers

Robert Wilson, a timid bookkeeper, and Cathy Wilson, a bored housewife, lead a dreary life in 1940 London. The looming war begins to disrupt their routine and stretch their comfort zones. The stage is set for changes that will redefine them both.

With the outbreak of hostilities, Robert enlists in the Royal Navy and Cathy joins the Women's Royal Naval Service. Separation becomes the default as they throw themselves into service and danger. Each begins to discover strengths they never knew they had.

Three years apart see them transformed by duty and isolation. They become more self-assured and independent, shaped by different experiences of fear and resilience. Their marriage becomes a distant, almost theoretical bond.

Dizzy Clayton becomes Cathy's bold, liberating friend and catalyst for change. Cathy starts dating Dizzy's cousin, naval architect Richard, as she tests new social freedoms. The old, dutiful wife begins to sense a different life beyond their flat.

Robert's sea duties harden him as he becomes a petty officer. His ship is sunk, leaving his hands badly burned, and he rows in a lifeboat for five days before rescue. He then recovers in a hospital, adjusting to life ashore.

Elena, a nurse, tends Robert in the hospital and becomes a quiet counterpoint to his brutal experiences. She reveals she recently lost her husband, which complicates any budding romance. She kisses him before gently stepping away, leaving him with questions and longing.

Both receive 10-day leaves and dread returning to their old life together. They see their spouses in a new light and fear the re-imposition of the dreary routines of prewar days. The gap between them has widened into something unspoken.

Cathy cannot bear to return to their flat and calls Robert to talk on more neutral ground. She blurts out that she wants to leave him, triggering his anger and signaling the irreparable distance between their transformed selves. The moment foreshadows a possible new life apart from each other.

They meet on a street in blackout, where the lack of light mirrors their estrangement. Robert readily agrees to a divorce, admitting he was ready to ask for one too. They head to a neighborhood pub to discuss their future and confront the changes in the other.

Inside the pub, Dizzy and Scotty confront the couple with fresh, blunt observations. Dizzy thinks Cathy is crazy for changing so much, while Scotty's offhand insult about the 'old Cathy' stings her and hardens her resolve. The evening makes their transformations undeniable.

Outside, in the bombed-out intersection, they argue over where the shops were and how their city has changed. The tension spills into the ruined night as Scotty heads to his billet. The couple is left to confront their own new identities apart from their past roles.

The girls return to the flat while Cathy recounts to Dizzy how she and Robert first met. The story underscores how their memories of love contrast with who they have become. The recollection foreshadows a possible redefinition of their relationship.

Robert comes back to collect his gear and finds Cathy in the corner of the window seat, dawn light flooding the room. The city beyond the window offers miles of ruined but hopeful landscape as the clock strikes five. They exchange a quiet, charged look that hints at reconciliation.

Facing a desolate yet beautiful London, they realize the years ahead will be a long project to rebuild. They acknowledge their youth and decide to face the future together, embracing a willingness to start anew. They share a passionate, hopeful embrace as the city wakes.