Edwin Ansty died a hero's death in France in 1918. Of that, Laura, his daughter, has been assured by everyone in the village of Ansty Parva. But they are all strangely reluctant to talk about this hero, whose name does not appear on the village war memorial along with the other fallen soldiers. Is there some terrible secret? Why is Laura not allowed to know about her father, whom she has never seen?

A child of the Great War, Laura is twenty when the Second World War breaks out, and, as an Ansty, she must do her share. She is assigned to a post in Egypt and soon learns firsthand about war and what it means. She finds love--or thinks she has--but realizes, almost too late, that her heart belongs much closer to home. And, always there, haunting her, is her father--handsome (she believes), brave (she hopes), but always mysteriously absent.