"Children make better soldiers," said the teddy bear. "They kill without compunction."

The Doctor and Benny are following a trail of kidnapped children across Europe, a continent recovering from the ravages of the First World War. The only clue they find is the toy bear each missing child was given. But someone is aware of their search, and they soon find themselves unwilling guests on the planet Q'ell, where a similar war still rages — and has done for fourteen hundred years.

Stranded on Earth, Chris Cwej and Roslyn Forrester struggle to find a way of stopping the Q'ell from recruiting every child in the world to their cause. And the Doctor tries to start a peaceful revolution on a planet where there is no longer any word for peace.