At Plattsburg

America is drifting toward war, and Richard Godwin has volunteered for something he barely understands. Arriving at the Plattsburg training camp, he carries only earnestness and a trunk full of misconceptions about what soldiering means. Through letters to his mother, we watch him stumble through drill, argue politics with a pacifist pastor, and navigate the tricky waters of class among his fellow recruits. David Farnham, a sheltered heir with more money than practical knowledge, becomes both foil and friend as the two men discover what they're made of when the rules tighten and the stakes rise. French captures a specific American moment: the last summer before the nation fully committed to war, when young men could still laugh at their own incompetence and wonder whether they'd chosen correctly. The novel is both a period piece and a timeless story about finding oneself through discipline, camaraderie, and the uncomfortable discovery that life demands more than good intentions.