It is 8 September 1943 and 14-year-old Claudette Blum is learning Italian with a battered suitcase in her hand. She and her father are among thousands of Jewish refugees scrambling over the Alps towards Italy. There they hope to find safety now that it has made peace with the Allies. However, almost overnight, Italy will become a battleground for the occupying German forces, advancing Allies, an increasingly confident resistance, Jews in hiding and ordinary Italians simply trying to survive. Against this dramatic backdrop and through the experiences of a handful of fascinating, beautifully drawn characters, Mary Doria Russell's first historical novel recalls the little known but true story of the conspiracy of Italian citizens that saved the lives of tens of thousands of Jews during the final, desperate phase of the last war. The result of five years of meticulous research, this captivating story of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary times and accomplishing remarkable things is full of drama, warmth, nobility and, for all the darkness, hope.