At the end of World War II, Polish war survivor Silvana and her seven-year-old son, Aurek, travel to England to be reunited with her husband, Janusz, after six years of separation. As they struggle to establish new lives, the horrors of the war years and the secrets that they keep from each other interfere with their relationship and threaten to destroy their efforts at creating a safe and happy home for their son. The novel, a debut for the author, presents a stunning description of what a mother will do to protect her child in impossible conditions, and of the dehumanizing effect of war.