England, 1944:

In a time of unparalleled fear, youngsters everywhere sought sanctuary in M. M. Haldane’s magical books, where no danger was ever great enough to prevent her hero from returning safely home to tea. But when her own son, Gerald, went down to the woods one day, not even a mother could save him from making a discovery so horrifying that it would mark the end of both his sister’s life and his innocence forever...

England, 1995:

As a new generation prepares to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of VE day, Gerald remains terrorized by his memories. Desperately lonely, he finds solace in following a young girl home from school. To protect her, he says. But when the girl disappears, all eyes turn accusingly to him. Gerald’s only salvation is to finally confront the atrocious events of his past--and the unthinkable, unspeakable truth about his star-crossed family, steeped in fiction and in guilt, that can finally set him free.