Hazel's memoir is set in Burma during the turbulent period following the Second World War and the subsequent civil war. From a family's endurance, a mother's faith and a young girl's traumatic journey through her teenage years ultimately springs a story of redemption and hope. Hazel yearns for freedom, yet chooses to become a nun; she yearns for her family, yet spreads her wings for Australia.

The Sides of Heaven is the sequel to Heaven Tempers the Wind: Story of a War Child, which was shortlisted in the Australia and New Zealand-wide CALEB Competition of 2017.