What background information is the reader given about Leni early in the biography?

In the novel, the reader is early introduced to Leni and is provided background information concerning her childhood and adolescence, including her convent education where she meets the mystical Sister Rahel, a major influence in Leni's emotional and philosophical development. For Leni, as for many of Boll's fictional characters, the Second World War serves as a significant although unfortunate turning point, shattering the world Leni knew and replacing it with the contemporary Germany she would ultimately reject.