A former prisoner of war , he had been captured in the aftermath of the successful German invasion of Britain .
The novel begins in December 1940 with the return of Sergeant Nick Penny to his home in an unnamed West Country port town .
A former prisoner of war , Nick Penny had been captured in the aftermath of the successful German invasion of Britain .
The novel begins in December 1940 with the return of Sergeant Nick Penny to his home in an unnamed West Country port town .