The time: September 1941 to December 1944. The place: a high-class English boarding school for boys near London. Thirteen-year-old Harry Lockwood fights for survival at Markham College, where the misuse of power by sadistic prefects creates a closed society ruled by fear and violence. As if this is not enough, Hitler's bombardment of Britain with terrifying V1 flying bombs and V2 ballistic missiles threatens to destroy him. This is indeed a story of war, but it is also a story of loyal friendship among four boys, of young love, of tragedy and joy.