Notes

Summary: The book opens with a group of Jewish refugees being escorted to safe-keeping by Italian soldiers. After making the journey over a steep mountain pass, they are welcomed into a small village. They have barely laid their heads to rest when news is received that Mussolini has just surrendered Italy to Hitler, putting them in danger yet again. This opening sequence is a grim foreshadowing of the heart-breaking journey these characters will experience in their struggle for survival. It is based on the true conspiracy of Italian citizens that saved the lives of tens of thousands of Jews