Publisher's Synopsis
Bryan grew up in Putt, a small village tucked away in Cambridge. He and his two sisters grew up through their puberty year's together learning about life and the development of their maturing bodies. They skinny dipped in the river that flowed past the meadow at the foot of the family gardens. Those times were happy times. At the outbreak of the 1914-18 war, Bryan found himself torn away from his simple country life only to find himself deep in mud and rain soaked trenches in France. Life suddenly became cheap as his comrades fell dead in front of his eyes. The relentless shelling and bombardments seemed endless. It was during one of the most horrific and terrifying bombardments that Bryan found himself thrown into the arms of Tom, an unknown soldier to him up until that first clutching embrace. Little did they know that this was to be the beginning of a new life of love and friendship between them. They gained some solace from being near each other daily. A shell exploded close to them. Bryan knew of nothing until he was being nursed in a field hospital behind the lines. Although he suffered a leg wound, his mental state was a worrying factor to the doctors. His concern for his friend Tom added to his poor health, and he was shipped home. The authorities were unable to reassure him about Tom beyond the fact that he was alive, but his whereabouts unknown. The war ends, and Bryan returns home to his mother's care. He sets out to trace Tom, for he knows he will never really recover fully without having his love to share. How can he keep this secret from his mother and two sisters? Homosexuality was a sin and a crime punishable by law in those times. His desperate attempts to trace Tom are rewarded. Tom, now fully recovered accepts an invitation to spend some time with Bryan and family. They find that they share their feelings of love for each other, and a whole new world becomes alive again for them after the horrors of war. This though is also the beginning of another chapter in their lives as they now have to find ways of explaining their love for each other to their parents and family.
