Overview

Dusk on the edge of a forest in France in 1918. An eight-man tank crew wait to go into battle—one they know for sure they won't survive — and quell their nerves with food, morphine and the pleasure of a Belgian prostitute. At dawn, Lieutenant Child gathers the crew to discuss whether they should sabotage their tank and save themselves. With delicacy, perception and clarity, Nick Whitby delineates the tangled shaping of lives and events.