"An exceptional talent for storytelling" KIRKUS REVIEWS5* Reader Reviews: "Will touch your soul.""Exceptional.""Heartbreaking.""Must-Read" "Wow! This book had me hooked from the very first chapter which was heartbreaking.""What a great book! One of the best I have read for ages.""Amazing book. Easy five stars! I did not want to put it down!""I loved this book. I read it in one sitting.""Highly, highly recommended.""Beautifully written it will touch your soul."Lives are torn apart. Lives are woven together...As war approachesYoung Jewish couple Max and Gerda are running their treasured family toyshop, but impending danger will force them to make unimaginable choices to stay alive.There are decisions to be madeJust fifteen and drafted into the SS, Josef is unprepared for war. Serving his country will force Josef to question all he knows about himself. Can he do everything that's asked of him - and should he?What will be their legacy?A decade after the war's end, a death in sixteen-year-old Friedrich's family propels him to investigate the past and uncover the truth about who he really is. As they battle to survive World War II and life in Nazi Germany, Max and Gerda, Josef and Friedrich's lives intersect in unexpected and profound ways.This sweeping, life-affirming novel explores identity, conscience, resilience and the profound human connections that endure.