It has been described as "an unflinching examination of the horrors of war and the injustice surrounding the execution of soldiers by firing squad, on the – often false – grounds of desertion or cowardice."

The tale is of a young boy named Tommo Peaceful, who tells the story in account format from the past to the present day events of his experiences. His eldest brother, Big Joe, has learning difficulties and is always looked out for by his younger brothers. The earlier part of the story tells of his life before the war; the tale of his love for Molly – a beautiful girl he had a lot of feelings for, who he met on his first day at school and grew to love besottedly – and Charlie Peaceful, Tommo's brother.