On the eve of World War II, a Dutch farmer concerned with developing events in Germany sends his twenty-year-old son to live with friends in America. As Johan crisscrosses the United States and eventually travels to Australia with his new bride, Emma, war finally breaks out in Europe. Joining the US Marines and fighting the Japanese before being transferred to England for Operation Overlord, Johan and Emma's lives will be inexplicably bound with the life of a German sniper, Gunther Klause.

These Tumultuous Years follows the intertwined stories of Emma, Johan, their children and Gunther as war and fate bring them and their children together on two sides of the globe. Ultimately describing a journey that spans from the 1930s to the present day, a story of heartbreak, challenges, and triumphs unfolds for a family of individuals spread across generations and the world—who yet ultimately discover their value in virtue and in faith, however differently they arrive at their destinies.

Through the joys, cares, and tribulations of these tumultuous years, a journey through life's tortuous ways will lead a soldier, a mother, and a family to finding peace at last.