Through the poignant story of the Brocklesby family, Will Ellsworth-Jones explores the history of conscientious objection in World War I, charting the ordeal of men who stood firm in the face of public scorn, official condemnation and the threat of execution. This powerful account also assesses the men's lasting legacy - an enhanced freedom to voice unpopular beliefs and to challenge those who decide to take a country to war. It always requires courage to go into battle; this book - vivid with personal detail from unpublished letters, diaries, memoirs and interviews - recounts one of those moments in history when it took just as much courage to say: 'we will not fight'.