This historical thriller probes a controversial issue: that World War II could have been prevented! The novel is set in 1936, a time when the specter of Germany's resurgent militarism loomed over Europe. Erich Behrndt is an idealistic young German whose father died in World War I and his mother in its afermath. Inspired by Hitler's promises of glory, Erich joins his movement, gets a diplomatic job abroad, and has an affair with beautiful and brilliant Lise Hermann. From his superior, Josef Steeg, a man with an ugly past who is consumed with lust and ambition, Erich soon learns the price he has to pay for his idealism. As the last chance to avoid World War II hangs in the balance, the lives of Erich, Lise, and Steeg become entangled with the lives of Andre Laroche, who seeks revenge for his family's massacre, and Stefan Mueller, a world-famous physicist facing persecution. Torn between these raging forces. Erich, Lise, Andre, and Mueller each face decisions that may change all their lives forever.