The characters in this novel are entirely fictitious. But several of the events described are not, ,especially those that occurred in Occupied France during summer of 1942, andin particular the great Velodrome d'Hiver roundup, which took place on July 16, 1942, in the heart of Paris.

This is not a historical work and has no intention of being one. It is hay tribute to the children of the Vel'd'Hiv'. The children who never came back. And the ones who survived to tell.

PARIS,JULY 1942: Sarah, a ten-year-old girl, is taken with her parents by the French police as they go door-to-door arresting Jewish families in the middle of the night. Desperate to protect her younger brother, Sarah locks him in a bedroom cupboard-- their secret hiding place--and promises to come back for him as soon as they are released.

SIXTY YEAERS LATER: Sarah's story intertwines with that of Julia Jarmond, an American journalist investigating the roundup. In her research, Julia stumbles onto a trail of secrets that link her to Sarah, and to questions about her own romantic future.