Raymond West and his friends each tell a mystery story, without revealing the answer so that the others can try to guess the outcome. They feel that with their combined skills and individual experience, they will be able to solve the problems presented. Raymond's Aunt Jane is one of the party.
The famed BBC correspondent furnishes an incisive, firsthand portrait of America on the homefront during the early days of World War II, describing the dramatic changes that were occurring throughout the nation during the period as it was transformed from a civilian society to a wartime one, as seen through the eyes of ordinary citizens.