1943, the North African desert. Major Tim Sheldon, exhausted and battle weary, is asked to carry out a futile and unexpected patrol mission. This intimate, tense novel puts this so-called minor mission centre stage, as over the course of the day Sheldon reminisces about his time as a soldier, his own future, and what it means to confront fear.

Fred Majdalany (1913-1967) was an officer in the British Eighth Army during World War II. After the war he resumed his career as a theater publicist and journalist, writing for the Daily Mail and Time and Tide. He is the author of many books, including The Battle of Cassino, The Battle of El Alamein, and The Monastery, which was adapted by the BBC.