"Underneath the tree, these few minutes of apparent calm compared to the chaos that reigned here just five minutes ago, with the constant noise of helicopters and airplanes in the background, the smell of gunpowder and heavy smoke choking us, and the chilling sound of machine guns and tank cannons - somewhat distant now - I make my decisions. I bring to mind my beloved Lenia and my Dimitris, who until yesterday filled my life with endless happiness. It's not fair not to see them again. The promise I made to her before leaving to enlist still echoes in my ears: 'Don't worry, I'll be back in a few days. I have to go back. At least try to return to Nicosia."

In this book, Andreas Samouel takes a historical look back at the tragic events of the summer of 1974 in Cyprus, which began with the coup d'état by the junta that led to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus and resulted in the occupation of a large part of the island by the Turks.

The author was present during the entry of the invaders into Kyrenia as a reserve soldier of the 241 Infantry Battalion, whose mission was to repel the attack on the city, and took part in the battles that took place there. The book describes, among other things, the unexpected encounter of the battalion's men with Turkish tanks near the Praxandros Stadium and the massacre with many casualties that followed in the unequal battle.
It also recounts the tragic conditions and the many dramatic incidents that the author experienced together with another soldier for four nights in an isolated house in Kyrenia at the foot of Pentadaktylos. After describing the incredible and novelistic way in which they managed to escape from the Turkish traps they found themselves in, Andreas Samouel vividly portrays life in the Dome Hotel, which operated for a long time as a self-governing concentration camp.

Through the narration of the author's personal adventure, the book provides a valuable chronicle and an accurate record of the historical facts of one of the most significant but also darkest aspects of Cypriot history."