Edward Pierson is the widowed vicar of a London church. He has two daughters, Eve and Noel, who is 17. In essence, the novel follows the battle between Edward’s faith and the lack of faith of his daughters following a seemingly disastrous mistake made by Noel. The novel is set during the first World War and explores their lives and their relationships with various other characters in a time of great stress when lives are profoundly changed by the devastating effects of the war. (Summary by Simon Evers)