Inside the Lines

"Inside the Lines" by Earl Derr Biggers is a story about Jane Gerson, a young American department store buyer, who journeys to Europe right before World War I and gets mixed up in dangerous events. In Paris, she meets Captain Woodhouse, a British army officer. Together, they face the dangers of espionage and a world heading toward war. Jane first comes to France to get back a lost trunk and do her job, but she soon has to deal with the growing tensions. Captain Woodhouse helps her out, showing that he is worried about her safety with everything going on. They talk about the possibility of war in Europe, and Jane's hopeful views clash with what Captain Woodhouse is afraid of, which creates a complicated relationship as they both struggle to reach their goals while caught up in a historic war.