In the autumn of 1939, a few weeks after the German invasion of Poland, English newlyweds Guy and Harriet Pringle arrive in Bucharest, then known as the “Paris of the East”. The residents of this diverse city, caught in the uncertainty of war and political instability, cling to a vibrant daily life as chaos engulfs Romania and the rest of Europe. Meanwhile, Harriet begins to really get to know her husband, an extroverted university professor who immediately engages in lively conversations with many people, and tries to find her place in a peculiar company of prim diplomats, rich ladies, seductive rogues and careerists. Based on the author's personal experience, this book became the beginning of the famous “Balkan Trilogy”, thanks to which Olivia Manning entered the history of literature of the 20th century. A reliable recreation of historical circumstances, a wide range of characters, subtle humor - all this makes “The Greatest Good” one of the best European novels about the Second World War.