Tommy's story begins in an impoverished Salford of a bygone time. It follows Tommy through his childhood and youth. This leads into the main part of the story about Tommy's experiences as a British soldier seeing combat in the Libyan Desert with the British 7th Armoured Division, which leads to capture and life as a prisoner of war and eventual escape and spectacular journey to reach freedom.
The story has twists and turns that will keep the reader not knowing how it will finish until the end. It contains shocking first-hand accounts of war and the harshness of living in a war environment, but also moments of hope and endeavour, and the laughter of life and romance in the most bizarre of situations. The story travels between continents and countries, highlighting the importance of how a grasp of different languages can remove cultural barriers and, in Tommy's story, probably saved his life.