A deeply moving story of friendship and enduring love which brings to a vivid reality the silent tensions of everyday life in England before D-Day. As the invasion fleet masses, Janet Prentice, a forthright yet deeply sensitive Leading Wren, meets two young Australians - a commando sergeant and his elder brother - a much-decorated pilot. The events of those crowded days, and their aftermath, are told with a compassionate brilliance which shows why Nevil Shute remains among the world's most popular storytellers.