On a winter's night in Czechoslovakia in December 1942 Dieter is born in the family home in Bruex. He is the fifth generation to be living there but his heritage could have dire consequences in the near future. It is a turbulent time of political unrest. His mother Erika, aged nineteen, wants love and happiness without the responsibility of caring for her child. She deserts him when he is two months old, leaving him in the care of her parents. Dieter's father Max is a soldier married to someone else. Max is called back to fight Hitler's battles on the German Front. No one knows his whereabouts.At first Dieter's life is stable while his grandfather and great grandfather keep an ear to the ground to prepare for their escape. What will become of Dieter as the family is torn apart and they must flee their homeland where they have lived for eight centuries? Will he survive the arduous trek over the Erzgebirge at just two years of age? What will the future hold?