Christas father served as a Nazi officer under Hitlers Third Reich. His refusal to follow orders to expose and capture Jewish citizens in Berlin during the Second World War resulted in a bullet in the back of his head by the SS, in front of Christa and her mother. After escaping from a crowded train en route to Auschwitz, eight-year-old Christas journey for survival began. Because of her American mother she spoke fluent English which was instrumental in securing a safe haven in a convent near Dresden hiding a burned British airman. Her journey takes her back to Berlin at the end of the war where she was airlifted to England in the care of the airman, and then on to New York in search of her mothers sister. Through the harsh treatment in a concentration camp and the separation from her mother, Christas will to live triumphed over all her adversities.