As the storm clouds were gathering in the Pacific, the Mattocks family was living a happy and productive life in the Philippines. Happy Life Blues tells the story of how their lives were changed forever after the events of December 8, 1941. It recounts peaceful prewar days, their years of hiding and imprisonment and how they adapted to these events. Despite the years of loss, deprivation and uncertainty of the future, the family maintained an optimistic spirit which would sustain them in their struggle for survival.