World War II was the first real people's war in modern history. Yet, for the most part that war has been recorded by the generals and politicians. In this book the experience of civilian life is given a voice. Clara Emily Milburn was a woman of her time and class. Like most people she was saddened by the destruction and futility of war, and the suffering it entailed. At the outbreak she showed compassion for friend and foe alike, but this tolerance faded with time and with the capture of her son at Dunkirk. Throughout, Mrs Milburn endures all with dignity and resolve, pursuing her daily routine in a world which seems to have gone temporarily insane.