This book is largely a tale of survival from the viewpoint of a ten-year-old boy during World War II in the Philippines. It relates the painful ordeal and suffering of his family in their struggle for survival against hunger and disease; how they managed to rise from the ashes of financial defeat to dramatic recovery; the atrocities and brutalities inflicted against the Filipinos; the benevolence of a GI acquaintance during liberation; his faith in the power of prayer and God; and his gratitude for being given the rare privilege and opportunity, as a successful surgeon and medical practitioner in the Philippines and the United States, to help alleviate suffering, correct deformities, and make a difference in the lives of his poor patients.