At the time it was written, Syria was still waiting to discover how it was to be governed following the war, so the book is a unique snapshot of a country on the brink of a new political future.

Despite the many ties between America and Syria, the author felt that the average American knew little of this faraway land. She therefore hoped to answer questions and arouse interest in the struggling nation. As part of the Ottoman Empire, Syria suffered great hardship during the First World War. Food was in short supply and much of its core industry was destroyed. Margaret McGilvary looks at the actions of the American Red Cross, the American Mission and other countries' philanthropic efforts to ease these difficulties. The picture we are left with, once the war had ended and the country liberated from Turkish rule, is one of hope but uncertainty ... a common feeling in countries devastated by the war across the world.