Where does David belong? David Kirke's childhood is sheltered, his nature is gentle and peaceable; he is no hero of romance but a human being with faults and failings which lead him into trouble when he adventures into the world to seek his fortune. In the background of the story are the hills of home and the noise and bustle of London; in the foreground are the people, alive, vigorous and full of personality, who play their parts in the shaping of David's life. The canvas is broad and there is space for gaiety and sorrow, for light and shade and for the quiet humour of a man who can laugh at himself. There are five windows in his life - five phases of experience - and the pattern which is begun at Haines, amongst the border hills, is completed when he looks at the view from the fifth window in his life and sees in the distance, veiled in mist, the city of enchantment...
