It's 1939, and Spain is a country shattered by brutal conflict. The civil war has ended - but the hatred that caused it hasn't.

Nick's father left Scotland to fight on the losing Republican side three years ago. He never returned. Now Nick has gone after him - crossing illegally into Spain, travelling without papers, trying to track down anyone who might be able to tell him what happened. But the risks are high for a foreign boy in Spain without permission. It's only with the help of one girl - Isabel, the daughter of a cruel Civil Guard sergeant - that Nick stands a chance of surviving . . .