At the outbreak of WWI, the Spiegels flee their home in Poland. The Hasidic couple struggles to adjust to life in Vienna. One daughter is in love with a man from an unsuitable background. Two sons drift from orthodoxy, embrace Zionism and face danger on the frontlines. Empires fall and a fragile peace descends. The family scatters across Europe and Palestine as the Nazi menace looms.

This time, the Spiegels will not emerge unscathed. As Nazi horrors are unleashed, doors of refuge are slammed shut leaving most of the family trapped. Young and old perish, some escape, but what price will the survivors pay as they struggle to rebuild shattered lives?

Based on a true story of love, loss, despair and hope, this turbulent and mesmerizing saga spans four generations, weaving one family's experiences into the fabric of Jewish 20th-century history.

Captured in two first-person memoirs—and presented along with added historical references—this is a remarkable story of resilience and survival that describes a resounding triumph of the human spirit spanning nine decades.