Wisconsin winter weather plays as important a role as any individual in this nicely paced tale of domestic abuse and murder. Claire Watkins is still adjusting to life in little Fort St. Antoine when she notices the bruises and stiff gait of a local woman named Stephanie Klaus. Small town or big city, Claire knows the signs of abuse when she sees them.
The daughter of a distinguished soldier Bess Crawford follows in his footsteps and signs up to go overseas as a nurse during the Great War helping to deal with the many wounded. There serving on a hospital ship she makes a promise to a dying young lieutenant to take a message to his brother Jonathan Graham: ‘Tell Jonathan that I lied. I did it for Mothers sake. But it has to be set right.’ Later when her ship is sunk by a mine and shes sidelined by a broken arm Bess returns home to England determined to fulfill her promise.
