This is the story of the British schools which grew up in India in the latter half of the 19th century, first in the plains and filter in the hills, to provide an English public-school style education for children from very mixed backgrounds of race, religion and economic circumstance, from all corners of the Sub-Continent.

The account is enlivened with many reminiscences of erstwhile pupils and teachers, collected diligently over a period of eight years by the author who herself was at a co-educational school in Darjeeling while her twin brother was at a neighbouring boys school; so much inside knowledge!

These educational establishments with their strong English public-school ethos were a notable feature of 'Anglo-India' life pre-Independence and surprisingly continue largely unchanged to this day; a significant legacy. .