He sees his sister Kath, who is eleven years older, only on her rare visits home, as she is now working in Germany with the occupying forces.

The boat and train journeys are highly unpleasant, but he is befriended by a young American man with unconventional views, Don Kowalski.

Kath's life in Heidelberg is far more luxurious than anything Timothy knew in England, where some basic foods are still rationed and economic growth is slow.

Kath's routine is disturbed when Greg and Vince disappear on a trip to Berlin, but they return a few days later, apparently having strayed into the Russian zone and been interrogated as possible spies.

An epilogue takes place in a motel in California, where Timothy, now a thirty-year-old academic in Environmental Studies, and his wife and sons are visiting Kath, who is still single.