This is the story of an ambitious young man from a working class background determined to make it to the top in post WW2 England. With ruthless determination he succeeds in marrying the only daughter of a wealthy businessman but only at the expense of his older lover and of his conscience. One of the first novels to tackle the class divisions in post-war Britain in a realistic setting it reflects the anger and bitterness felt by many servicemen returning to civilian life at that time.