Valentine #20 September 1969

Maria spends her holiday at home, unsettled by her neighbor Tom Fane’s late-night guitar lessons—money he’d saved for the season, now spent on a dream that’s left him heartbroken after his girlfriend left. When Maria confesses she lost her boyfriend too, buying a scooter instead, the two bond over shared disappointments. Tom teaches her to ride, but the moment ends in a crash—her scooter runs over his guitar. Together, they sell both to make the most of their holiday and head off to Southville, where the next chapter begins.

On a rainy Saturday, Frankie steps out for a walk after her father’s grumbling about youth, only to be swept into a moment of sudden connection when Simon crashes into her during a casual soccer game. The impact stops her watch at 4:30pm, freezing time just as their eyes meet—love at first sight, and a chance encounter that leaves her heart racing. As Simon checks on her and tries in vain to restart her watch, the bus pulls away, and Frankie is left wondering if they’ll ever find each other again.

Janet Keyes, new in London and feeling lonely, finds an unexpected connection in Hyde Park with Jim Watson, another stranger adrift in the city. Bonding over their shared roots in the countryside, they spend a night exploring London—catching a movie, visiting a club, and sharing quiet moments. As they part with a kiss, both realize the city’s magic lies not in finding familiarity, but in the unknown.

In a tense, fleeting moment on a 1969 airfield, Robert Craig rushes Valerie Dawson onto a plane, revealing his role as a British Army Intelligence Captain with a mission to deliver a critical letter. As their journey takes them to Washington D.C., where Robert’s warnings about an assassination attempt on Meralia’s leader fall on skeptical ears, Valerie grapples with the reality of being caught in a world of secrets—only to find herself questioning whether the man she’s with is truly on her side.