In A Son at the Front, her only novel dealing with World War I, Edith Wharton offers a vivid portrait of American expatriate life in Paris, as well as a gripping portrayal of a complex modern family. The painter John Campton is divorced from the mother of his son, George, and although Julia`s second husband, Anderson Brant, a wealthy banker, has been a devoted stepfather to George, Campton resents his presence in George`s life. This family drama is ruptured by the outbreak of fighting, which requires George, born in France, to report for military service despite his parents` belief that he should be exempted.

Reflecting Wharton`s own experiences, A Son at the Front documents the shock of the outbreak of war, the early hope of a quick victory for the Allies, the terrible human cost of the war, and the relief when, belatedly, the United States enters the conflict. The novel`s tone reflects the realities of life in Paris, and the profound disillusionment of the post-war period, standing as not only an important part of Wharton`s oeuvre, but a landmark in the literature of the First World War.