Nice, France

Most of the novel takes place in the French city of Nice. Nice is a costal city located in France’s southeastern region. It is extremely old and very populous. Noah was born in Nice. When he was four years old, he fled with his father and sister to America to escape the Nazis. Noah’s mother, Margot, stayed behind to take care of her elderly father and to work as a secret agent and forger for the French Resistance. Margot left Nice in 1944 to join her family in America. In 2018, Noah and Michael visit Nice. While they are there, they investigate Margot’s life and learn about her involvement with the Resistance.

Hotel Excelsior

While in Nice, Noah and Michael stay at the Hotel Excelsior, specifically because Noah found an old photo of the hotel in his mother’s belongings. They soon discover that the hotel...