In October 1966, nineteen-year-old William Lavery is at his first black-tie event when news breaks of the Aberfan disaster, where a coal mine landslide has buried a school. William, a newly qualified embalmer, volunteers to assist in the recovery efforts, a job that forces him to confront his own past losses and the little boy he once was. The book explores how compassion and giving to others can sometimes help in personal healing.