Claire H.

No Ordinary Time describes how the isolationist and divided United States of 1940 was unified under the extraordinary leadership of Franklin Roosevelt to become the preeminent economic and military power in the world.

Amory Blaine, a handsome, wealthy, spoiled and snobbish young man from the Midwest, attends Princeton University and acquires a refined sense of the proper "social" values. Lacking all sense of purpose, he interests himself in literary cults, vaguely "liberal" student activities, and a series of flirtations with some rather predatory young ladies. Perhaps This Side of Paradise - F. Scott Fitzgerald's first novel - succeeds because of its vibrant quality of youthfulness.

Just before his regiment sails off to war in the Sudan, British officer Harry Feversham quits the military. He is immediately given four white feathers as symbols of cowardice, one by each of his three best friends and one by his fiancée. To disprove this grave dishonor, Harry dons an Arabian disguise and leaves for the Sudan, where he anonymously comes to the aid of his three friends, saving each of their lives. Having proven his bravery, Harry returns to England, hoping to regain the love and respect of his fiancée.