[3] The work of historical fiction reconstructs the life of the narrator’s grandfather, Urbain Martien, before, during and after the First World War – as parts 1, 2 and 3 of the book.

The main character, Urbain Martien, was raised in a suburban quarter of Ghent during the belle-époque, and was devoted to his Roman Catholic faith.

His father, Franciscus Martien, worked as a fresco painter for parish churches in the Low Countries and finally, in England.

At the outbreak of the Great War, the 23 year-old Urbain is sent to the front, where he becomes a disciplined soldier and decorated combat hero, and ever the dutiful .

The grandson, the narrator, visits sites in West Flanders and reviews personal archival materials, in an attempt to understand, even reconstruct, something of his grandfather's life experiences.