When Sonny's mum is killed in a freak bomb attack over Newcastle, he feels not only bereft but guilty. It should have been him in the shop that got the direct hit, running the errand he had forgotten on the way home from school. But this is a secret grief he can share with no one. His dad reacts violently to her death and signs up immediately, out to get revenge on the single German pilot that dropped the bomb. Sonny's supportive grandparents take him home to nearby Tynemouth for the duration. Later in the war, Sonny's dad is killed too, and Sonny must think through his beliefs about where his parents are. This is helped by various caring individuals and by dreams about his mum. The spectacular climax involves his confrontation with a crashed German pilot, whom he believes to the man who killed his mum. A combination of sensitivity and violent feelings, along with a cracking adventure story, make this a powerful novel.