's 1918, and it feels to Alice as if the war has been dragging on forever. It's four years since Alice's father went away to be a doctor for the army and when Papa Sir stops writing home, his family sense that something is wrong, and for the first time they contemplate the fact that he might not be coming back. Without him, they only have Uncle Bear, their father's brother, who is mute and regarded as a strange recluse by the town, but deeply loved by Alice's family.
Alice loses herself in dancing, her biggest passion, and pursues her dream of being a ballerina with her teacher, Miss Lillibet. But Alice's older and most favourite brother, Teddy, has reached the age where he should enlist to go overseas. A gentle artistic boy, Teddy is morally opposed to the war, and feels that his place should be at home watching over his family in his father's absence. When Alice goes to audition for Miss Lillibet's friend from London, Edouard Espinosa, Little and the others picnic alone, and a terrible accident happens. Alice blames herself and vows never to dance again. Then Teddy receives white feathers in the mail, accusing him of being too cowardly to serve his country, which spurs him on to enlist.
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