A determined young woman, Shirley shows indomitable courage from the outbreak of the Second World War, working in the Air Raids Precaution patrol, as well as keeping house, in the time of severe rationing, for her father and her brother. While on duty, she throws herself into dangerous situations to protect and rescue the residents in her area, without thought for her own well-being. Her physical and mental state are severely compromised by a visit to relatives during the autumn of 1940, but her salvation comes in an unforeseen form, which allows her to return to her lifelong dream of becoming a ballerina. The Fiery Pillars of War takes the reader across the battle fronts in Europe and beyond, where innovations in armaments put entire populations at risk, their reach extending to London and much of the rest of the country, highlighting the brutality of the war on the battlefield, on civilian populations and on prisoners of war.