Paul Mitchell spends his days researching the carnage of the First World War in the silence of the library. But his peace is shattered by an unexpected visit from a man with a fragment of a German trench map - and a lot of questions. Why does Dr David Audley of the MOD want to know what really happened during the Battle of the Somme in 1916? When Paul is attacked on his way home and a forged suicide note appears, it's clear that someone wants him dead. As he becomes deeper embroiled in Audley's case, It seems that Paul could hold the key to a dangerous mystery that has its roots in the horrors of the trenches...