1939 is a Young Adult novel about a group of teenagers in one of the most dramatic years of the last century. Rishaan is in the right place and time to meet many interesting people, from Indian princesses (with a stoic Sikh bodyguard) to an exiled Albanian king. He is talented, with various skills, family connections, and opportunities that make him the perfect spy.

What was the secret Rishaan's Grandfather was going to tell him? How much did the Indian princess know about his spying for Winston Churchill, and could he trust the quiet boy from Czechoslovakia? Rishaan Finch is not alone in his adventures; he is joined by a group of children from other wealthy and powerful families who have been evacuated from London to the relative safety of Rishaan's parent's estate in the countryside of England. Together they form a close group of comrades, each with their lives affected by the war clouds covering Europe.

The first episode, 1939, sees Rishaan Finch spying for Winston Churchill, who is exiled from politics for being a warmonger. Rishaans's eccentric grandfather, an ex-soldier in the British Colonial Army, tells him stories of his adventures in Africa and the Middle East. He inadvertently sets Rishaan on a path that will change him forever.