Content Warning: This novel depicts the Holocaust. It describes violence perpetrated by the Nazis, including executions of individuals based on their race, as well as infanticide, sexual assault, rape, arson, and attempted murder. The source material records emotional abuse and the deaths of infants and adults from starvation and illness.

A first-person speaker accompanies a reluctant woman into a room full of cots. Each cot holds a child. As they move among the cots, the matron sees a blonde girl stand up and reach for her. The woman takes the girl in her arms.

In the summer of 1939, in Łơdź, Poland, a young Jewish couple meets for lunch on the steps of a cathedral, where they carry on lighthearted conversation. The young woman, Ester, is a nursing student. Filip, the young man, is a tailor. Rumors of a German invasion of Poland grow; in September, Nazis invade. That day, Filip asks Ester to marry him on the steps of the cathedral. After she accepts, two German planes fly overhead, and the couple takes cover: “Ester had no idea whether this was the happiest day of her life or the worst” (14).