This is an exploration of the "special relationship" between Great Britain and the United States told from the perspective of the volatile, often fraught alliance during World War Two. The spotlight falls on Monty and Ike, then takes in the ordinary squaddie who becomes a pawn in the game, and finally Montgomery's unsuccessful attempt to assert Britain's superiority in the closing months of the war. Recent events in Iraq have yet again brought the "special relationship" under intense scrutiny and gives a flesh and blood portrait of two of the most charismatic figures of World War II who are, perhaps, too often, eulogised.