In this story, Dahl describes his experiences in the Royal Air Force during World War II. The story opens with Dahl and a few of his fellow flyers preparing for a trip to fight the Italian army. Each man is struggling with the prospect of what he is about to face. Dahl feels “that each one [is] holding himself together because the going [is] not very good right then” (209). Dahl and his friend Peter board their Gladiator biplane fighters and assure one another that defeating the Italian army will be easy.

After strapping into the aircraft, Dahl’s memory is hazy. He remembers that there was trouble and that his plane was flying too low for him to turn around and escape. The plane is hit and begins to fall toward the ground. The right wing of the Gladiator has caught fire, and Dahl feels the increasing heat inside the cabin. He struggles to escape the aircraft, and someone on the radio coaches him to undo the straps holding him down and to release the parachute which is inhibiting him from moving. Dahl crawls away from the fire.

His friend Peter appears and notices that Dahl’s nose is missing. The rest of the story toggles between Dahl’s dreams and his time in the hospital.