Herb Druce was an upwardly mobile Philadelphia man and a World War I veteran. He was married to Peggy Eubank, a marriage which had helped her to escape the poverty of her early life. In the fall of 1938, Herb Druce had been planning to meet his wife in Europe for part of her vacation. He had to cancel his trip on account of the war. His wife was trapped behind German lines for months. When she returned back to America, both of them admitted to each other that they had both been having affairs. While they forgave each other, there was nevertheless a loss of trust between the couple.