From the dedication of the memorial at Vimy Ridge and the rise of Nazism in Germany as filmed by an Ontario travel agent, to the stark contrast of Toronto's 1941 Santa Claus Parade and the horrors of December 25 in Hong Kong, all are captured in military training footage and home movies discovered in basements and cupboards across Canada.
Convoys leave Halifax harbour. Troops train across the country. Japanese residents are forced to leave their homes in British Columbia. Quakers - conscientious objectors - work in Chinese hospitals. Women head for the factories. The Dieppe Raid, North Africa.
Canadian volunteer firemen help put out fires in war-torn Britain. Farley Mowat writes from the battleground of Italy. Footage shows bombing raids over Germany, D-Day, the devastation in Germany, and the concentration camps of the "Final Solution." VJ Day brings the release of Canadian POWs from Japan.