In 1940, David Sparsholt goes to Oxford to study engineering, although his goal is to join the Royal Air Force. Handsome, athletic, charismatic, he is unaware of the strong influence he has on others – especially on Evert Dax, the lonely and romantic son of a famous novelist.

With the world in the grip of war, and London being bombed, Oxford seems like a place of fleeting beauty and secret bonds under the cover of blackout. A friendship develops between David and Evert that will affect their lives for many years.

Alan Hollinghurst's novel, following three generations, reconstructs the close relationships of a group of people brought together by art, literature, and love. We witness changes in aesthetics and morals through a series of vivid episodes that reach into the 1970s.

Rich in detail and emotionally charged, this dazzling book about fathers and sons, families and legacies, explores the social and sexual revolutions of the past century, while also leading us to the major issues of our own time.