When war breaks out in 1914, Mark Fenner, his best friend Locky, and self-assured Frank enthusiastically enlist as volunteers to take on the Germans and win glory. Through ramshackle training in England and a stint in Egypt, rebellious Fen proves himself to be a natural leader, despite ongoing friction with Frank. Headed by terse, tough Sergeant Major Bold, this group of young men yearn to face the great adventure of the Western Front. Then, on one summer's day in 1916, Fen and his band of brothers are sent to the Somme, and in John Harris's 1961 novel, this very ordinary hero discovers what it means to fight for your life.