When Helena is presented with a lacquered Chinese box containing diaries and letters belonging to her mother, she is reluctantly drawn back to her childhood years. The daughter of an Irish officer in the British Army. Helena's story vividly describes the affect on her family when her father is called up to fight in the First World War. While Helena's memories re-create a complex picture of the politics and history of the period, they are dominated by the enigmatic figure of her mother. Ally, who drifts on the edge of sanity as she attempts to cope with the sense of loss and isolation brought on by the war. For Rebecca. Helena's niece and Ally's granddaughter, the diaries contain vital clues to the identity of the mysterious M. whom Rebecca believes to be her real grandfather. If Rebecca can solve this riddle, then perhaps she will be able to come to terms with the past and its legacies. Weaving together Helena's reminiscences and Ally's own words, Patricia Hickey's fine debut novel is a powerful and lyrical account of the workings of memory and of an unexplored aspect of Irish women's experience of war.