The tale of Charles Marden, an apple grower and judge who sets off from his Vancouver Island home on an impulsive journey to Belgium, where his son has died in battle. Marden's mission is to find the exact spot where his son was killed. This is a story of the power of death, the pain of loss, and the possibility of hope in a time of war.

W. D. Wetherell's previous books include the novels Morning and Chekhov's Sister, the short story collections The Man Who Loved Levittown and Wherever That Great Heart May Be. He recently held the Strauss Living grant from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.