This epistolary novel immerses readers in the daily life of a soldier during World War I.

August, 1914: Émilien goes to war full of confidence. He'll be back soon. He won't even get a chance to pine for his dear Madeleine. But the conflict bogs down. The letters, initially enthusiastic, reveal the daily hardships and then tip over into horror: the mud, the cold, the fear, the waiting and the discouragement, and the hope for a leave of absence to reunite with his loved ones.