The beautifully rendered fiction debut in the US of preeminent WWII historian James Holland offers a unique angle on the conflict, chronicling the impact of the war on one British family and their small village.

The village of Alvesdon has been home to the Castells for generations. But the year is 1939, and peace and tranquility are about to be shattered once more by the storm clouds of war in Europe. As three generations of the family gather, they must face the prospect of their lives being transformed beyond recognition.

When Britain declares war on Germany, the younger members of the family and farm workers are called up to fight. Those who remain must battle to keep the home fires burning and the farm afloat. The gentle certainties of rural life are replaced by the urgent clamor of war in the air, at sea, and on land, where events unfold with dizzying rapidity and unexpected consequences.

Stretching from the glorious summer of 1939 to the Battle of Britain the following year, and with his unparalleled insight and storytelling about World War II, acclaimed historian James Holland’s novel paints a compelling and immersive portrait of a family and a community whose way of life will be forever transformed by the horrors of war.