Twin brothers fighting in the same Highland regiment at the beginning of the Second World War are torn apart in battle and afterwards experience two radically different wars. Their stories unfold against the background of a typical Scottish Lowland family history. '',,, I had come to learn how my ancestors had fared: specifically, those on the Scottish side of my mother's family,,, the drift from the land, the search for alternative employment , including the soldiering tradition, and the dreadful conditions they endured at work and at home, this is their story.''