'They were two people thrown together by the harsh climate of war. An American man and an Australian woman, each seizing the last chance to live - and love - while others prepared to die. Even as the Japanese land in New Guinea, and prepare to attack the Australian mainland, Galton Standforth, chief of staff to the American commander General Wraith, can no longer conceal his sudden and violent passion for Australian servicewoman Dimity Lewis. Theirs is a vulnerable, explosive relationship - forged by the absurd realities and raw emotions of war. But as the battle lines shift in the tense, crucial months which follow, both Galton and Dimity slowly come to discover their love is no equal to the intrigues of men...' (Source: back cover, 1994 Pan Books edition)