This book tells the story of prisoner of war John Fletcher-Cooke's horrifying treatment at the hands of the Japanese. Based on a diary he kept throughout his captivity - and which he was unbelievably lucky to preserve - this story, told without bitterness, reveals a man who refused to give way to despair. During his years as a prisoner of war he witnessed and was subjected to the full spectrum of man's inhumanity to man. To say that he emerged from his descent into hell a wiser and better man is not to condone his suffering: it only emphasises the fact that indomitable courage and strength of character are often only revealed in adversity. The author subsequently revisited Japan and the places where he was imprisoned. He also met some of the men who had once been his persecutors. The final chapters of this book reveal the humanity, compassion and understanding which helped him to survive his ordeal.