The Aftermath starts by describing the shattered ruins of the firebombed city of Hamburg, Germany in 1946. The book is set in the aftermath of World War II where thousands of Germans remained displaced, with the British occupying the Hamburg. Charged with supervising the de-Nazification and reconstruction of the devastated German city, the British officials requisition Colonel Lewis with a good house on the banks of the Elbe, where his family joins later (“The Aftermath by Rhidian Brook" par.1). Lewis’s decision of allowing Lubert (the house owner) to live with them under one roof, paves the way for betrayal and conflict. However, Lewis feels that he must show a good example of the transformative influence of forgiveness.