A small island rises from the sea between Ankh-Morpork and the empire of Klatch, and suddenly everyone wants a war. Vimes - promoted to Commander - must prevent a conflict driven by nationalism, racism, and the ambitions of men who will never have to fight in it. Meanwhile, the Patrician disappears, and Sergeant Colon is left in charge. A razor-sharp satire of jingoism, foreign policy, and the gap between those who start wars and those who die in them.