They invaded his country, stole his home, and imprisoned his fiancée and family. Now they want him to spy for the Kaiser.

On the eve of World War I, after Dieter Jaeger is diagnosed with a fatal heart defect, he abandons University before final exams and returns to his fiancée and wealthy, aristocratic family of Prussian descent in Lille, France. Days later, his uncle, a lieutenant-general in the Prussian army, comes to visit. His uncle warns the family they’ll be in the path of the invasion, but Dieter’s father, a devoted pacifist, refuses to listen.

German troops soon swarm the streets, take over their home, and Dieter’s brother joins the French resistance. The Kaiser’s men lock Dieter in prison and send his family and fiancée to an internment camp.

Then Dieter’s uncle presents his appeal: “Spy for the Kaiser, and I’ll release your family.”

Dieter hates what the Germans have done. He’s even contemplated joining the resistance. Could he pretend to work for Uncle’s suspicious spymaster—but as a double agent, deceiving them all? But if he were caught, his family and fiancée would never go free. And what if his weak heart betrays him first?

This historical spy thriller, written for a general market, is set in France and Belgium before and after the 1914 invasion.