Martin Hamer is a German officer rewarded for heroism when he receives a medal from the Fuhrer. The medal came at a price, as he also received an injury which results in him being sent to a concentration camp in Poland to recover. Hamer has experienced a lot in life, and not all of it good.
His strength and determination are shown when, before he married, he literally had a mountain to climb.
He conquered his peak and then settled down, only for his wife to die seven years later when her car slid off the road. The book goes back in turns to time spent with his wife and the action of the war. But when Hamer is sent to the concentration camp he meets inmate Julia Smollen.
His feelings for her, and her influence, lead to him questioning everything that he has previously believed in. He struggles to find a true role in the running of the camp and his relationship with the prisoner causes tension between his fellow officers.
The relationship flourishes but suffers further complications . . . leading to a compelling finale. Cottam has produced another remarkable novel which places an unlikely romance against a backdrop of prejudice, war and hate.
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