On 7th December 1941, Japan entered World War II by simultaneously attacking the American Naval Base at Pearl Harbour in the Hawaiian Islands, the Philippines and Malaya. Appalled by the decision, Commander Hirada Tanawa of the Imperial Japanese Navy nevertheless carries out his orders with skill and daring, and leads the final assault on the British capital ships Prince of Wales and Repulse off the coast of Malaya which results in their being sunk on 10th December, even though he knows that his cousin-in-law Jack Dawson is serving on the Prince of Wales.
From then on, for four bitter years, the two friends are enemies as the grim drama of their lives is played to a finish, against a background of domestic turmoil. Honouring naval codes and duty whilst knowing that each day could be their last, both men endure grave uncertainty but equally they are forced to make decisions they never imagined they would be faced with...
Back in England the political landscape is rapidly changing, loyalties are tested and frequent air raids have rendered daily life more transient than ever. Divorce, racism, one mother’s nervous breakdown and another woman’s uninhibited lust leave behind a shattered legacy. What does the future hold for lost lovers and families who feel betrayed?
How Jack and Tanawa attempt to cope with the traumas of their loved ones and at the same time fight the epic naval battles which set these years alight is the theme of this final chapter in Christopher Nicole’s fictional history of the modern Royal Navy.