Alternating chapters follow a Jewish family, the Eisenbaums, during the Nazi rise to power and the gradual stripping away of the rights of Jews in Germany. The youngest child, Frederika, becomes a doctor against all odds. But as the Nazi grip tightens, she loses the right to practice and is finally sent to a concentration camp. Rebecca's and Frederika's stories connect in the startling conclusion.
Sylvia Maultash Warsh was born in Stuttgart, Germany, and immigrated to Canada when she was four. Her parents, both born in Krakow, are survivors of the Holocaust. Sylvia grew up listening to her mother's stories and these sparked her interest in history - especially that of the Second World War. She attended the University of Toronto, receiving a BA and an MA in Linguistics. She attended the Banff Centre Advanced Writing Studio. Currently, she teaches creative writing to seniors for the Toronto District School Board and is a founding member of the Toronto chapter of Sisters in Crime. Sylvia lives in Toronto with her husband, a psychiatrist (also her consultant for any medical information she requires for her physician-protagonist, Rebecca Temple). They have two children.