Esther Hautzig is the author and the central character. At the beginning of the book, Esther is 10 years old. The next five years are formative ones; she returns to Poland as a young woman. As the author, Hautzig reflects on her experience from an adult perspective. Situations that she took seriously at the time—such as plotting to cross paths with Yuri, a boy from school—are told with a twist of self-deprecating humor.

From the very beginning, Esther has a strong personality. As a four-year-old, Esther insists that she needs colorful panties to attend nursery school. Her mother disagrees, saying: “Very well. Don’t go” (3). Stubbornly, Esther “stayed home until it was time for [her] to go to grade school when [she] was seven” (3). In the first chapter, Raya’s responses to her daughter develop Esther’s character for the audience: “Esther, for once do as you’re told without asking questions” (7).

Throughout the book, Esther’s stubborn independence helps her overcome challenges. She adapts to life in Siberia and begins to walk to school on her own. Looking back as an adult, the author writes: “It never occurred to me that for a child to walk down a Siberian road, in every possible way the outsider […] required some courage” (100).