The story of a group of young people, first encountered in 'These lovers fled away', growing up in the tribulations of the First World War, and surviving the hard times of the thirties, only to find themselves facing the uncertainty of a second war Along the way we learn more of Laurie, Hesba and Theodore, who appeared in 'Hard Facts' and 'Dunkerlys' and are introduced to the scholarly Holy Innocent, Septimus Pordage, one of Howard Spring's most Dickensian characters