Beginning near Belgrade, the story tells of the effects of escalating war upon a Serbian-Jewish family and a developing forbidden relationship. A trade war causes conflict between neighbouring countries. In the Balkan War, Stefan’s head injury threatens to change the course of his family’s life. Thereafter, he succumbs to alcohol. Characters upholding the common good are prevalent, and others who are seen to be coercive controllers are despised. As the plot unfolds, the protagonists escape from one problem only to be trapped by another. Against the odds, a marriage succeeds. Children are born, and some deaths occur. A safe haven in Germany becomes enemy territory, and Stefan has to fight under another banner. Men from the community fail to return from worldwide war. Deeper issues are questioned and discussed amongst the characters. Concurrent to the outer war, inner wars exist within each individual. Even the children are affected emotionally, and one child attempts suicide. An episode of a different kind of prejudice continues, and eventually, a dramatic retrieval of a young infant from an orphanage sees a depleted family dramatically escape back to Serbia. The book leaves us wondering what will happen next.