Held by Anne Michaels

1917. On a battlefield near the River Escaut, John lies in the aftermath of a blast, unable to move or feel his legs.

Struggling to focus his thoughts, he is lost to memory. 1920. John has returned from war to North Yorkshire, near another river - alive, but not still whole.

Reunited with Helena, an artist, he reopens his photography business and endeavours to keep on living. So begins a narrative that spans four generations, moments of connection and consequence igniting and re-igniting as the century unfolds.