This is the second book in the continuing saga of the Baird family, following the ebbs and flows of its fortunes through the fears and uncertainties of the interwar years.

The Great War is over, but peace brings little respite to the ongoing enmity felt by the protagonist, Iain Baird, towards his younger brother. He is determined to establish a relationship with his biological son, Eddie: the rest of the family, led by Eddie's formidable grandmother, are resolved to prevent this at any cost.

Set mainly in Scotland, the story alternates between Glasgow and Edinburgh, against a backdrop of industrial unrest and the threat of radical socialism in the 1920s, followed by the darkening clouds of fascism, fellow travellers and appeasement in the 1930s.

Iain is heavily involved in the twists and turns of extremist politics, first in the fledgling Communist Party, then in the Independent Labour Party, before being induced to act as a double agent for Mosley's British Union of Fascists. He must steer a tricky path, serving two masters, playing off one against the other, if he is to achieve the status and recognition he craves.