The novel is set during the first year of the war and follows the wartime activities of characters introduced in Waughâs earlier satirical novels Decline and Fall, Vile Bodies, and Black Mischief.
The dormant conflict is reflected in the activity of the novelâs main characters. Earnest would-be soldier Alistair Trumpington finds himself engaged in incomprehensible manoeuvres instead of real combat, while Waughâs recurring neâer-do-well Basil Seal, finds ample opportunity for amusing himself in the name of the war effort.