'The Kindness of Women' continues the story of Jim, the young boy whose
experiences in Japanese-occupied Shanghai were described in 'Empire of
the Sun'. It follows his return to post-war England, setting his
childhood in the context of a lifetime. Jim tries, and fails, to find
stability as a medical student at Cambridge, then as a trainee RAF pilot
in Canada. Having finally settled into happy family life, his world is
ripped apart by domestic tragedy.