[1] The story concerns John Franklin, the pilot of a Wellington bomber, who badly injures his arm when he crash-lands the aircraft in German-occupied France during the Second World War.

Plans are made to smuggle them all back to Britain via Vichy-controlled Marseille but Franklin's condition worsens and he remains at the farm during the hot summer weeks that follow and falls in love with the farmer's daughter Françoise.

[2] The book was adapted into a 4-part television mini-series in 1980 for the BBC, starring David Beames as Franklin and Cécile Paoli as Françoise.

It was written by Gregory Evans, directed by Michael Napier Brown and starred Katharine Schlesinger and Kim Wall.

In January 1991 BBC Radio 4 transmitted a three-part Classic Serial also adapted by Gregory Evans and directed by David Benedictus.