The author relates the remarkable story of his pianist mother, a child prodigy who escaped certain death when the Nazis invaded Ukraine, adopted a new identity, and came under the protection of a Nazi commander who heard her play.

Life is not easy for Jewish people in the midst of the Second World War, and for twelve-year-old Dina and her sisters, it gets even harder when their father dies. Their mother must go back to work and despite many objections, the family adjusts to the arrival of their new housekeeper, Nina, who is not Jewish. But Nina's role changes dramatically when the Nazis invade their small Ukrainian town. Nina sacrifices her own safety to make sure the children...