Recruited from small Southern towns and posh New England colleges, ten thousand American women served the U.S. Army and Navy as code breakers during World War II. Under strict vows of secrecy, the women moved to Washington and learned the meticulous work of cryptanalysis. Their code-breaking triumphs shortened the war, saved countless lives, and gave them access to careers previously denied to them. In the process, many got their first taste of the big city, became lifelong friends, and fell in and out of love amid the heartbreak of war.

At the heart of this story is Dot Braden, a feisty Virginia schoolteacher who, in 1943, leapt at the chance to take a mysterious job with the Army at a place called Arlington Hall. In this book, the children and grandchildren of Dot, who is still alive at age 96, and those of thousands of other women will finally learn the astonishing scope of their accomplishments.