Poland, 1944: Armed men line the streets and herd us forward as they pull people from the crowd. My heart pounds as I hear a familiar cry. They have my best friend. I desperately push through to her, to save her. But we are too densely packed in. I can't hold back my sobs as she disappears from sight. I am too late...
When war broke out, Julia's father, a high-ranking Polish Officer, took her from Warsaw to keep her safe. Now her father is missing in action, Julia has returned home to find him and fight for the resistance-but the city is more dangerous than she ever thought it could be.
When she is trapped in the ghetto, Nazis shoving people into the streets all around her, Julia can only watch in horror as her dearest friend is dragged away. It seems she is about to suffer the same awful fate, until her childhood sweetheart, Nikolaj, appears in enemy uniform and stops the guards with one word.
Surely the boy Julia remembers would never side with the Germans? In the safety of his private room, he explains he is a resistance spy within the ranks of Nazi officers. But the longer he keeps her in the barracks, surrounded by his soldiers, the more Julia grows uneasy about the man she once knew...
Half-Jewish and with her father a wanted man, how safe can she be behind enemy lines? And, not knowing who to trust, will she ever be able to reunite with her captured friend, and her beloved father-or will the war tear them apart forever?
This utterly heartbreaking, unputdownable and inspiring historical fiction novel will have you reaching for the tissues. Perfect for fans of Orphan Train, The Nightingale and The Tattooist of Auschwitz.
Read what everyone's saying about Gosia Nealon:
"Read this!... Everything I love... Page-turning... Incredible... When you think everything is going to be okay... BOOM!... You fall in love... Won't be able to stop reading... Stunning." Goodreads reviewer