In the early days of World War II, the small island nation of Britain became a haven for Europeans fleeing the invading Germans. Among the refugees were many whose contributions to the war effort rarely receive their due, including Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, who served as an unwavering symbol of resistance and courage for her people; the Polish fighter pilots who, unable to defend their homeland, became the deadliest weapon in the British Royal Air Force's arsenal; and the French physicists whose expertise in nuclear fission proved worth its weight in diamonds. I raced through this character-driven history, absorbed by the real-life stories of heroism and unity…and was sobered to learn about the civilian toll of the Allies' political machinations, glossed over—sometimes downright suppressed—in victory. This is captivating, enlightening, essential reading.