The film focuses on a loud young woman with little future named Molly Dawes (Lacey Turner) and her decision to leave her troubled life behind to join the army.

Primarily filmed at the Army Training Centre Pirbright, and being commissioned on the condition that it would include Turner, Grounds developed the story and summarised it as following a "female combatant but she is also a daughter and a sister".

Despite being met with mixed critical response, with many criticising the film's story but praising Turner's performance, it earned high viewership and was well-received by audiences, resulting in the series being conceived.

18-year-old Molly Dawes (Lacey Turner), who lives in the East End of London, discovers that her boyfriend has been cheating, and after vomiting in an alleyway, she feels that her life has no purpose and decides to join the army as a combat medic.

Encouraged only by the manager of the recruitment office, Sergeant Lamont (Paul Fox), she initially keeps her decision a secret from her family, which consists of her controlling father Dave (Sean Gallagher) and doting mother Belinda (Kerry Godliman).

When the truth is exposed, Dave demands she changes her mind, threatening to disown her if she does not, leaving her to make the heartbreaking decision to step away as she heads off to training camp.

Here, Corporal Geddings (Matthew McNulty) initially doubts Molly's merits as a potential soldier, but she strives to prove herself and eventually earns the respect of her peers, even reuniting with her mother Belinda when she visits her to apologise for Dave's actions.

[4] Grounds was vocal about how necessary attention to detail for the plot was and explained the bones of the story as being "one girl's journey from a somewhat out of control miscreant, working in an East Ham nail bar, to someone who is an asset to her country".

[11] Tom Sutcliffe of The Independent criticised the film for being overly patriotic, explaining: "Tony Grounds's drama Our Girl was so unequivocally approving of the benefits of joining up that it seemed entirely possible that viewers at a loose end might consider giving Army life a go".