Pride goes before the fall.

1900s Austrian Tyrol. Fritz Hanny, confident, optimistic, and vain, enjoys the prestige of belonging to one of the most respected families in the Reschen Valley. When he falls in love with Cecilia, a young girl in a neighboring village, he pursues her like everything else he wants: by breaking the rules if he must. But when the First World War breaks, one external force after another cuts Fritz down. Suffering disappointment, violence, and conflict, Fritz becomes a desperate man. When the Great War ends, Fritz is trapped between two borders: on one side, the family he has. On the other, the family he wants.

This dark and gritty stand-alone novella is a prequel to NO MAN'S LAND, the first book in the Reschen Valley series.

"Lucyk-Berger has explored the darker side of human nature in this tale, and she has done so with great skill and splendour. This story appalled, impressed, and fascinated in equal measures. It is wonderfully told and impossible to put down." - Mary Anne Yarde