Simon Conti is a troubled man. Having recently been struck-off as a surgeon, he returns to look after his dying mother, who leaves him a manuscript written by his long-dead father, Tony, which was always intended for Simon. A journey to discover his father ensures, unearthing the disturbing truth of Tony's war in Italy fighting with the partisans close to the Gothic Line. As his relationship with Rajunder Das, his mother's nurse, waxes and wanes, Toni finds a new family and the truth about himself. The story reaches a dramatic conclusion as the final element of Tony's story emerges.