By Christopher M. Briggs

A legacy to defend. A love to rescue. A war that can never be forgotten.

The Currie Libel Trial dominates Canadian headlines for weeks during the spring of 1928. Sir Arthur Currie, Canada’s field commander during World War I, sues the Port Hope Evening Guide for $50,000 over an editorial accusing him of needlessly ordering Canadian soldiers to their death at Mons on the last day of the war. Alfred Simpson, one of Currie’s lawyers, must cope with the preparations for the suit while at the same time trying to deal with his own war injuries – both physical and mental – that still afflict him. Sarah Simpson, his wife, despairs of ever regaining the love that she and Alfred once shared. In her loneliness and fear, she is driven into the arms of another man.

In a rural Ontario courtroom, the Great War is about to be re-fought, the generals second-guessed. The court becomes a microcosm reflecting the fate of an entire generation. The trial by jury becomes a trial by fire.

Listen to an interview with Christopher on Word on the Hills Radio Program.