"Ryman McGregor and Abraham Scott have a lot in common. Both are . . . unhappily attending St. Xavier's Residential School in Ontario and desperately seeking to escape the clutches of the abusive Jesuit priests. One night, the boys—along with Ryman’s sister—make a break for it, but RCMP trackers quickly pick up their trail. The runaways barely evade capture and begin the long journey to their respective homes, where they part company.

But years later Ryman’s and Abraham’s paths cross again. This time they are men fighting in one of Canada’s best military units in Europe during World War II. They see the horrors of war through soldiers’ eyes, and they reunite with two nursing sisters, Belle O’Hara and Brenda Parker, whom Ryman and Abraham knew in their youth"--publisher's website.