Open Secrets, the fifth volume in the Land of the Living sequence, finds Amy Parry and her husband, the poet John Cilydd More, confronted with not only the destruction and desperation of the Second World War, but also the strain of conflicting political beliefs on their marriage.

As Amy struggles to balance her loyalty to her family with her own independent ambitions, she becomes involved with the welfare of German refugees, the Labour movement and war work in ways that find little favour with her husband and even less with Nanw, her jealous sister-in-law. Their compelling story unfolds against the turmoil of a radically changing world.