Set right after Italy breaks from the Germans and makes peace with the allies, Russell's novel centers on a handful of characters caught up in the wave of Jewish refugees fleeing to Italy and the resulting battles that erupt between the Allies, Nazis, Italians, and the refugees and their saviors. While the novel has a full cast of characters and a complicated setting, Russell navigates the dynamic, intricate politics of the time perfectly, weaving together the lives of her characters to create a vibrant portrait of the human face of World War II.
