Chapter 1 through 13 Summary and Analysis

In the first chapter, Riva was talking with her daughter, Nancy. Riva said that there was sunshine on this particular morning and that she was "calm and happy." But she said that nightmares haunted her night times and that she dreaded going to sleep. Nancy said that she has seen the grandparents of a friend and that it made her sad because she doesn't have grandparents. She asked Riva why people allowed the Nazis to kill so many people and Riva admitted to herself that the same question echoes in her own mind. When Riva was obviously sad, Nancy sought to reassure her, saying that they have friends and neighbors and that it couldn't possibly happen here. Riva suddenly recalled the events of 1939.

In chapter two, Riva recalled a typical time in her childhood home in Lodz, Poland. Her...