The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Sepetys, Ruta. I Must Betray You. Philomel Books, 2022.

Ruta Sepetys’s first person narrative, I Must Betray You, follows the life of Cristian Florescu as he comes of age in communist controlled Romania. At the outset of the novel, the narrator was living in a one bedroom apartment with his parents, sister, and grandfather. At school, he was called into the director’s office and a Securitate agent informed him that he was being apprehended for committing a crime against the state, exchanging foreign currency. Cristian attempted to explain how he came into possession of the American one dollar note but his story was ignored. The official, Agent Paddle Hands, told Cristian that he would work as an informer, gathering information on the American diplomat Nick Van Dorn. Cristian was ashamed of himself for agreeing to work for the state, but he thought that the agent would provide medicine for his ailing grandfather in return.

As the narrative progresses, Cristian began dating his classmate, Liliana Pavel. The teenagers shared contraband Coca-Cola and attended video night together. While Cristian kept his role as informer secret, Liliana broke off their relationship because she believed he ratted on her family for feeding the stray dogs with stolen bones. As Cristian contended with his heartbreak, he continued to gather intel on Nick Van Dorn and his family. The narrator visited the American Library with Dan, who was writing a college application essay on Romania. Cristian reported back to Agent Paddle Hands about their interactions bet attempted to omit as much detail as possible. After Bunu died, Cristian learned that his grandfather was an active participant in the resistance. Cristian learned that other countries in the Eastern Bloc were ousting communist leaders and resolved to participate in the Romania rebellion against Ceausescu. He formulates a plan to leave his journal with the American diplomat in order to inform the world about the deplorable conditions within Romania. Cristian wrapped the notebook as a Christmas gift and clandestinely slid it onto Van Dorn’s desk.

Later on, at a government mandated rally to support Ceausescu, Bucharest citizens openly decried the dictator. Cristian joined the chants calling for Ceausescu’s death and ripped the hammer and sickle emblem from a Romanian flag. As the rally descended into a melee, Cristian was beaten by the Securitate and woke up in a prison van. He and other rebels were brought into a small building and tortured. Cristian thought about escaping but willingly entered the van bound for Jilva when he saw Liliana. The teenagers took comfort in one another’s presences as they faced imprisonment. They had their first kiss in a prisoner cell as they awaited instructions from the jailers. Later, Liliana helped Cristian escape so that he could find help. In the following days, Liliana escaped from prison, Luca recovered from his wounds, and Cici was murdered as the fighting raged in the streets of Bucharest. On Christmas Eve, Ceausescu faced trail and was executed shortly after. The narrator had hope that his future would defy the poverty and oppression of his childhood. In the Epilogue, Cristian reveals that he read the Securitate files on his family years later and learned that Cici was working for the American resistance and was killed during the battle in Bucharest for her revolutionary actions.