It's 1975 and Francis McNulty is nearing the end of his life. A veteran of the Spanish Civil War, he is tormented by grief and guilt about a brief, terrible act of betrayal from that time. When his daughter Gillian announces her impending marriage to a senior civil servant, Francis realises that he must adapt to new circumstances - and that the time has come to confront his past once and for all. A highly atmospheric novel full of period detail.