When paratrooper Corporal Reith Douglas received a head injury in Greece during the Second World War, he might well have anticipated a hero's welcome on his return home. But it would have helped had he known where home was or who was waiting for him. Because Douglas had lost his memory, and even a photograph of Irene, his pretty wife, and their two children, Mathew and Agnes, did little to trigger off any memories.

But time works in mysterious ways. Once Douglas has returned to Irene in Glasgow, the memories come flooding back, and the horror of his remembered past becomes a living hell. Gradually he recalls the time before the war, the joy of his early married life, and the pain he suffered when Irene declared her love for Billy Boyne, one of Glasgow's most renowned villians. Lonely and disillusioned, he now finds solace in his friendship with the attractive Catie Smith, who inspires him to become ever more successful. Little does he realize that things are never quite what they seem and that before long he could well recapture the passionate times of his past.