The four men who accompany Maud on the convoy are very different from any clichéd idea of humanitarian volunteers. One by one, they reveal the secret wounds that have brought them to this conflict zone and the true nature of their cargo will slowly be uncovered.

Prize-winning author Jean-Christophe Rufin offers up a powerful psychological thriller that asks some vital questions about the role of humanitarian action in today's world, bringing to light the most fundamental dilemmas of our age. As a new kind of violence insinuates its way into the heart of Europe, is it not time to take up arms rather than counter violence with benevolent acts and enlightenment ideals?