About the book: year / A peaceful and legal life was never part of Thomas Shulman’s long-term plans. In the nightclub he bought after returning from World War II, there is always a secluded place for personal reprisals, because Thomas is sure that this is the only way to gain respect, prestige and power. Forced to hide his violent temperament and criminal activities, Thomas attends London College once a week, where he reads literature as a substitute teacher. However, nineteen-year-old Lillian Young, too perceptive, fed up with the realities of life, bursts into Thomas's class and life, destroying his secret, stable and comfortable little world, denying the existence of love as such. Thomas is not ready to accept her views and offers Lily a deal, wanting to prove the existence of love through their example. Could Lily have known about Thomas's real life, agreeing to his proposal, without realizing that she was facing a gangster?