Set in the ghettos of wartime Warsaw, this is a sweeping, poignant, and heartbreaking novel inspired by the true story of one doctor who was determined to protect two hundred Jewish orphans from extermination.
Deeply in love and about to marry, students Misha and Sophia flee a Warsaw under Nazi occupation for a chance at freedom. Forced to return to the Warsaw ghetto, they help Misha's mentor, Dr. Janusz Korczak, care for the two hundred children in his orphanage. As Korczak struggles to uphold the rights of even the smallest child in the face of unimaginable conditions, he becomes a beacon of hope for the thousands who live behind the walls.
As the noose tightens around the ghetto, Misha and Sophia are torn from one another, forcing them to face their worst fears alone. They can only hope to find each other again one day ...
Meanwhile, refusing to leave the children unprotected, Korczak must confront a terrible darkness.
"A story that should be told and retold. Gifford's version is readable and extremely powerful."
The Times
"I could scarcely put it down. Vivid and chilling but utterly inspiring."
The Daily Telegraph
"Written with quiet, almost heroic, determination, Elisabeth Gifford's novel fictionalizes these events. The end is inevitable. It is painful to read about such wickedness and suffering."
