This book is basically a series of vignettes of 4 specific people's lives. There's no plot; instead there's a running narrative of the characters daily experiences during and after the war. This was sometimes really interesting and sometimes a tad boring. However, Sarah Waters' writing is so beautiful and engaging that it makes slow, drawn out stories become compelling page turners. The Night Watch is the last Waters novel I had left to read. I have my favorite books of her's (Fingersmith and The Little Stranger), but all of them are well worth the read.