"In the late 1950s a group of American medical students are enrolled at the Catholic University of Louvain, Louvain, Belgium. They were unable to gain admission to an American medical school. The main character in the book is the daughter of a Flemish flax farmer, who is dating one of the students. Other students are dating local girls as well. Some of the families on both sides do not accept these friendships, and the story is about how this tug of war affects the relationships of the young people involved."