Germany provides the wherewithal in the shape of counterfeit money to three would be 'thieves' when they misappropriate a quarter of a million pounds in 1942. The money provides for a comfortable lifestyle during and after hostilities cease. But a dark shadow descends when a murder is committed to a sadistic father who preys on his young daughter. An area in the City of Leeds lends itself to an explanation on the lifestyle of people, mainly women, who undergo a drastic change while facing shortages and the knowledge that their men folk are somewhere where they should not be. Factories become a place of manufacturing for deadly munitions, produced mainly by women. Prize-winning author Robert Marshall uses his childhood memories to provide the background colour to this wartime thriller.