Disc 1: --Canada comes of age in the anguish of WWII, with soldiers on the beaches at Dieppe and women in the industrial workforces back home. The country's military role and the domestic, social and political consequences of the war are traced through poignant stories of Canadians on both sides of the Atlantic. The horrific global conflict steals the innocence of a generation but brings hope for a new future.

Disc 2: -- The end of WWII signals the end of 15 years of social, political and economic upheaval. The post-war baby boom and government economic and social policies give rise to an unprecedented boom that brings prosperity and growth to Canadian communities. Meanwhile, TV becomes a powerful new tool with social and political consequences. Charismatic leaders--including Diefenbaker, Smallwood, Duplessis and CCF leader Tommy Douglas--color post-war Canada, as do such issues as Medicare, growing fears of the Cold War and nuclear conflict, and country's growing absorption into the American orbit of military, economic and cultural influence.