The story is set in two different parts of World War II Germany—the factory town of Steinbergen and the farming community of Gutwegen. Regine lives with her mother in the company-owned apartments of a canning factory in Steinbergen. A distinct contrast exists between these two places. Although not physically described, Steinbergen's atmosphere comes across as dark and stifled. Bombings occur sporadically, good food is scarce, and neighbors occasionally disappear. Few people openly question the morality of the war or their government's actions, but some of Regine's acquaintances harbor doubts and send out ambiguous signals to any who may share these feelings. In this community, no one trusts one another. Warnings to a teacher become couched as suggestions, and Regine cannot even bring herself to tell her friend Doris about Jan, although she strongly suspects her friend's sympathies lie with the Allies, not the German government. Gutwegen...