Vigil in the Night represents something of an event for fans of A. J. Cronin. Here, published for the first time in book form, is his poignant and moving tale of two nurses - of Anne, who devoted herself to serving others, and of her younger sister, Lucy, who meant to get everything in life for herself. When Lucy's negligence causes the tragic death of a young patient, Anne takes the blame to protect her young sister - an act that threatens to destroy the brilliant nursing career that lies before her. But then Anne meets an idealistic young surgeon who takes an interest in her, and although one of the oldest and most honored traditions of the medical profession is that the relationship between doctors and nurses remain strictly impersonal, doctors and nurses are, after all, human beings - and sometimes that tradition breaks down.