In 1912, the German, Stefan Haase, is studying Theology at Oxford. There he meets James Millward and James' sister, Beth. These three lives will be profoundly affected by the coming of the Great War.

In 1912, Stefan Haase, a Rhodes scholar from Germany studying Theology at Oxford, forms a friendship with fellow student James Millward. Stefan soon meets James’ sister Beth, a young, feisty and agnostic suffragist, and the two are drawn to each other despite their spiritual and intellectual differences. The three are separated by the war ­– James in Flanders as an officer in the trenches, Stefan as pastor to a German regiment and Beth as an auxiliary in France. The bonds that they share will be severely tested as each must face the carnage, cost and upheaval of the war and its aftermath.