It is May 1940 and the Second World War has broken out. A bomb from a German air-raid has just destroyed a Limousine passing through a French village, killing its occupants … except ten-year-old Jacky.
Claire Arcueil, a Belgian nurse who has been trapped in the village since the outbreak of war, rescues the boy from the wrecked car and nurses him back to health. A tender affection forms between the two and when things settle down after the Armistice, Claire brings the boy back to Belgium with her.
Jacky immediately settles in and becomes part of the Arcueil family. Then, a rich couple from Brussels unexpectedly claims guardianship over the little orphan. In his new luxurious Brussels home, Jacky is confronted with comfort and boredom – everything inclines him to compromise on what Claire has taught him. Will he resist and make the correct choices, or will he give in to the surrounding corruption?
Father Albert Hublet was a Belgian Jesuit who wrote novels for children.
Age-group: 10 years and up.
Paperback. 272 pages.