The book is set in and around the small town of Santa Eulària des Riu, on Ibiza, where Paul had lived since 1931.

The narrative is set in 1936[1] in the week leading up to the outbreak of hostilities on Ibiza during the Spanish Civil War[1] and describes the events that eventually lead to Paul, his family and other refugees from the violence, fleeing the island.

It tells the story of civil disobedience, collaboration, and the violence that split a once-happy community, but the narrative finishes before the tragic turn of events reaches its conclusion.

The postscript, written by Paul, dated 14 June 1937, details events following his departure from Ibiza and describes his hopes and fears for his friends on the island and a way of life that he thought would change forever.

The book was praised by Richard Rees, editor of The Adelphi magazine, who called it, along with George Orwell's Homage to Catalonia and Georges Bernanos's Les grands cimetières sous la lune, one of "the only books about Spain that can be said to be written by people with free (i.e. fundamentally honest, if often mistaken ) minds".