A Man Could Stand Up—

Armistice Day dawns, and Valentine Wannop, awaiting the return of her beloved Christopher Tietjens from the trenches, prepares for a reunion that will irrevocably alter their lives. But before that longed-for meeting, the narrative plunges us back into the harrowing reality of the Western Front, where Tietjens, the "last Tory" clinging to an outmoded code of honor, navigates the relentless psychological and physical brutality of the Great War. We witness the constant shelling, the gas attacks, the senseless deaths, and the profound, soul-deep wounds inflicted upon soldiers, transforming men like Tietjens from their former selves. The final act returns us to the bittersweet celebration of Armistice Day, as Valentine and Tietjens grapple with a future shaped by the war's indelible scars.