Content Warning: This study guide contains depictions of genocide, rape, sexual assault, suicide, and drug addiction.

Cilka Klein, the novel’s protagonist, was born on March 17, 1926, and grew up in a loving home with an honorable father, a caring mother, and an older sister. Cilka is intelligent and speaks multiple languages because of her upbringing and time in Auschwitz. She is a quick learner and is perceptive of and sensitive to others. However, people first notice Cilka not for her intelligence, but for her petite frame and remarkable beauty. Her striking appearance becomes a curse in the novel, attracting men’s attention when she prefers to remain invisible and resulting in her being subjected to frequent occurrences of rape in both Auschwitz and Vorkuta. Despite this harsh reality, Cilka maintains a strong sense of self-worth and can detach her mind from her body when she is taken against her will. This detachment allows Cilka to preserve a sense of herself despite what happens to her and teaches her how to adapt and survive: two elements that become hallmarks of Cilka’s personality and behavior.

On April 23, 1942, at age 16, Cilka moves from her home in Bardejov, Czechoslovakia, to Auschwitz, where she endures frequent rape and continuous deprivation for three years.