In 1939, teenager Francis Cassavant and his childhood sweetheart Nicole Renard, as well as most young people in Frenchtown, frequent the 'Wreck Centre', the town's recreation centre, headed by charismatic and well-known local figure Larry LaSalle, who was renowned for transforming the lives of the town's children via sports, crafts and dance lessons.

In 1942, Larry returns to Frenchtown on leave, and after a celebration welcoming him, he takes the young people to the Wreck Centre.

The place of religion within the community of Frenchtown is often emphasised and the values instilled through his Catholic upbringing affects the decisions that Francis makes throughout his life.

Many men are recruited to the armed forces, and women are given service jobs in the local factories to make products for the war effort.

The GI Bill is mentioned in the text in regards to the later plans of the veterans, which they discuss in the St Jude Club.

However, the positive outlook is shown to be false, as the veterans are later presented as pessimistic people, especially Arthur Rivier, who struggles to cope with not talking about the war.

Publishers Weekly called it a “thriller” that “will hold fans from first page to last.”[1] It also said it had "complex characters", the “audience will tensely await the inevitable”, and the author was "at the top of his game.

[2][3] The Complainants requested that no members of the ALA or NEA serve on the reconsideration committees because these organizations “are officially against any attempts at removal of books from any school”.

[3] The novel has been studied in Wales and England by students aged 14 to 16 as part of the GCSE English Literature syllabus under the WJEC examination board.