Steel Heart

After the Allies' victory in North Africa in 1941, 1000 Italian soldiers were sent as labor to build barriers on a remote island off the Scottish coast. Their arrival frightened the island's inhabitants. After three years of war with a constant threat of invasion, they fear the captured enemies and do not wish to endure their presence. Most see the Italians as bloodthirsty foes, but for two sisters, Dorothy and Constance, they are merely exhausted, sick, and wounded, unaccustomed to the cold of the Orkney winter. The girls help the prisoners as best they can. Dorothy is immediately drawn to Cesare, a very young boy whose mind has been shattered by the horrors of war. As the war drags on, tension between the islanders and the outsiders increases. Dorothy's connection with Cesare threatens another bond – the bond with her sister Constance. After the death of their parents, the sisters relied solely on each other, and now their closeness is at risk… And one fateful evening, a choice must be made that will have devastating consequences.