As Malaga goes up in flames in 1936 and the Civil War begins its monstrous destruction, Gamel Woolsey, an American poet, watches fear stalk through a traditional Spanish village. The villagers, wishing simply to be left to cultivate their cabbages, are caught in a cycle of violence which provokes hatred, anger and a thirst for revenge in even the most peaceful of souls. This humane and sympathetic account puts the people of Spain first, whatever their political persuasion, and gives a gripping and harrowing account of the emotional effects of war in general, and of civil war in particular.