The Return of the Soldier

In 1914, a final farewell party is thrown for Captain Chris Baldry before he leaves England for the Western Front. He appears withdrawn and distant during the gathering while his wife Kitty tries to hold the scene together with a calm exterior. The party marks the last quiet normalcy before the war's upheaval.

The group of British soldiers readies to depart England for France. Baldry leads his unit with a sense of detachment, shadows in his eyes as the reality of war looms. The mood contrasts with Kitty's concern for life back home.

In 1916, Jenny worries about Chris's regiment, having heard nothing from them. Kitty brushes off her fears, focusing on rising grocery prices and rationing. The quiet house begins to feel the strain of an unseen absence.

Margaret Grey arrives with a telegram claiming Chris is ill and has returned to England, though she does not share details. Kitty refuses to believe the news and has her ejected. The telegram unsettles the couple, hinting at a new, painful truth behind Chris's absence.

Kitty and Jenny visit Chris in a London hospital and discover he is suffering from shell-shock. He no longer remembers Kitty and repeatedly asks for Margaret Grey. The encounter is humiliating for Kitty, who begins to question whether his memory loss is genuine or a sham.

After a few days, Chris returns home, but he does not recognize former friends and treats simple pleasures as new discoveries. He shows little interest in Kitty, and the couple sleep in separate rooms. The home feels like a distant, unfamiliar place to the once-authoritative husband.

Chris sends for Margaret Grey, and they recall their shared past. He reveals the depth of his past love for her, which had been opposed by his parents due to her working-class roots. Their renewed closeness deepens Kitty’s humiliation and jealousy.

A medical expert, Doctor Anderson, suggests letting Chris and Margaret see each other more, arguing that happiness may be preferable to forced cure. Kitty reluctantly agrees, influenced by Margaret and William, Margaret's husband, who supports the arrangement. The dynamic shifts as medical opinion clashes with traditional expectations.

As Chris and Margaret grow closer, their bond takes on a childlike affection rather than a mature romance. Kitty struggles with the sight of his gentle happiness and what it means for the 'old Chris' she loved. The house becomes a stage for a quiet battle between memory, love, and possible cure.

Kitty longs for the pre-war, authoritative man, and Anderson contends that returning him to recall the horrors may be cruel. They consider a drastic step: telling Chris about the lost child to spark a change. The tension intensifies as the family debates the right course.

Towards the window, Kitty watches as Margaret tells Chris about his late son. The revelation jolts him, altering his demeanor and focus. His fear of the past begins to loosen as pages turn toward a possible return to vitality.

With the memory of loss unlocked, Chris stands taller and moves with purpose toward the house, suggesting a return to the present. Jenny notes he is 'every inch a soldier' now that the past has been resolved. Kitty realizes her husband may be returning to the war, but with renewed strength.