Inspired by the author's ancestry, this epic novel explores love, tragedy, and resilience in the lives of a large family before, during, and after World War Two in Scotland. When a Royal Scots soldier is sent to Hong Kong to help bolster the British Army, the British are eventually defeated in a gruesome battle. After the fall of Hong Kong while he is imprisoned by the Japanese for four and a half years he designs a tapestry to honour each POW who died in his Battalion. Just when he feels he can no longer go on living, a serendipitous encounter with a friend's sister becomes his inspiration to survive each tormented day in the camps.

Meanwhile, a young Scottish lass is struggling with the hardships of wartime and the atrocities she and her family must face every day. After the war, as she picks up the broken pieces of a world she no longer recognises, she learns of a life-changing connection she shares with the Royal Scots soldier.

A testament to the strength of the human spirit amidst adversity, this book illustrates how people can rise to challenges and survive the most difficult of times, whether it's a young woman faced with the grief of losing precious family members or a young soldier navigating the horrors of war.