Chapters 1 through 11 Summary

As the story opens, Lina is looking back on the time leading up to being taken prisoner. She says she had seen signs that something was happening. Her mother had sewn her best jewelry into the lining of her coat and burned family photos. Lina later realizes her parents had intended to escape the country, but they were arrested before it could be accomplished. On June 14, 1941, Lina was already in her nightgown when Russian soldiers beat on the door of her home. The officer says the family has twenty minutes to pack. In chapter two, Lina begins packing, obeying the direction of Elena, her mother. Elena sends Lina's little brother Jonas to pack also.

In chapter three, Lina's mother packs a large suitcase for Jonas and, though he has trouble carrying it, he does so without complaint. As Lina's mother is...