The middle book in the trilogy, it continues to look at treatment of shell shock, and also tackles some of what was going on in England during the Great War; pacifists, deserters and those who harboured them, and a ‘homosexual plot’. Unable to return to France, Billy Prior is working for intelligence and struggles with doing his duty and betraying friends from his youth, turning again to Dr Rivers when he finds gaps in his memory. Another fascinating look at the impact of the war, on different levels, and on the human mind.