This is a moving and action-packed tale of an amateur boxer Tony Soap and his huge Zulu friend. On the 17th of July, 1940 the harbour walls of Durban, South Africa, are jam-packed as the three ships drift out to sea, but Tony easily spots Gustav who stands out like a black bear in the snow, his massive arms outstretched. In North West Africa Sergeant Soap befriends a Corporal whose skill in throwing knives is revealed in close combat with Italian soldiers. They experience terror as a SS sniper cruelly toys with them, and their comrades are shot to pulp. Piet loses his leg and in the next encounter Tony is also wounded. After two days of frantic driving the ambulances arrive just as the ship is about to set sail. Port Tewfik is a scene of chaos with military vehicles of all types rumbling in and out, creating a permanent dust cloud. In between the marching and idle soldiers local Arab traders in traditional robes are shouting; fervently trying to sell their wares. The SS Pasteur, being the third fastest ship on the planet at the time, outruns a battleship, only to be chased by patrol boats who pepper them with machinegun fire. On their first night home the war vets are ambushed by thugs. The following day they meet a pair of sisters from South West Africa and are literally knocked off their feet - much to their embarrassment. They hire buses for a descriptive tour of Durban, winning at Greyville Racecourse and then South Africa's Training and Fitness Academy is born. While on a deep-sea fishing trip that gnawing 'gut feel' starts up again and Gustav's girlfriend proves her lifesaving capabilities, and swimming is added to The Academy's activities. On a scenic train journey to South West Africa, a rugged and yet untamed country, they are involved in a pub brawl and then defeat a sabotage attack by the Ossewa Brandwag (anti-war zealots), but a boy is killed by a knife severing his jugular. In SWA they experience all aspects of farming and hunting. For their dual engagements to the girls a huge tented function is held, but during the celebrations the OWB hit back and they are left with charred bodies. Enraged the boys grab their rifles and give chase. In a separate chapter Tony's father-in-law vividly describes how he jumped off a train to escape a detention camp during the First World War, and spent two years living in the Kalahari desert. With only Bushmen and Hottentots as occasional companions, he became as adept as the Bushmen in the harsh desert environment. The Academy booms and the boys plan to purchase farms in South West, but then on the eve of their departure disaster strikes, and the heartbroken friends are forced to go on the run. Their abilities and survival skills are severely tested, but eventually aid comes from a totally unexpected source. Then the fateful day arrives when the Caterpillar rolls over and crushes Tony. Almost two thousand members of The Academy, friends, family and farm folk gather in groups to pray. For the first time in seven years Gustav prays, he stands alone on the dam wall and cries out; pleading that God rather take his own miserable life. The Beechcraft carrying its precious cargo, the battered body of Tony Soap, suddenly banks steeply and screams back to Keetmanshoop at full throttle. The doctor shouts at the bewildered pilot who fearfully replies that the controls are not working.