In Flanders Fields

In Flanders Fields tells the story of the Ghent-based Boesman family and their attempts to survive World War I. The story focuses on the five family members, each going through their own war over a four-year period. The central character is 15-year-old Marie, a naive puberescent, developing through war time into a balanced adult woman with a positive outlook.

The real impact of the war becomes palpable to the family when the Germans occupy their home. The father, Philippe, a gynaecologist, sees an opportunity to become a professor in the Flemish University supported by the German occupier. The mother, Virginie, tries to keep her family together as much as she can, but the war drives them apart. Maries oldest brother Vincent fights at the front line based on his ideals... and will pay a very high price for it. Guillaume, her other brother, tries desertion but becomes a soldier, ready or not. 

Marie dreams of becoming a doctor, but becomes a nurse at the front line. That is where she eventually finds the strength to build up a balanced perspective on the world and her family.