The novel follows the experiences of Robert Ross, an officer in the Canadian army who is 18 when World War I breaks out. It is narrated by a historian who is researching and understanding Robert Ross' life, in particular a controversial wartime incident he instigated. The story is told through the memories of the few living people who knew him, and the historian's reconstructions based on archive materials. It portrays the life of an Edwardian higher class family in Canada's early 20th century, and warfare on the Western Front.
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