A shy and quiet World War II evacuee is housed by a disgruntled old man, and they soon develop a close bond.
Two kids meet at a film festival; an Afghan living in Iran, the other a Londoner. Initially they are at odds due to cultural differences, but when Danny the Brit stumbles upon some smugglers and is held captive, Ali goes to his rescue.
When Tom's brother Peter gets measles, he is sent to stay with his Uncle Alan and Aunt Gwen in a flat with no garden and an elderly landlady, Mrs Bartholomew, living upstairs. Because he may be infectious, he is not allowed to play outside and feels lonely. Without exercise he is less sleepy at night and when he hears the communal grandfather clock strangely strike 13, he investigates and finds the small back yard is now a large sunlit garden.