Mark and his brother and four sisters grow up in Hitler's War-time Germany under unusually trying circumstances. Not only do they - like everyone else - have to endure the common hardship of food-rationing, but in the early post-war period they suffer physical abuse and cruelties by the Russian occupiers and - ultimately - severe hunger which brings them near death. They escape the total destruction of the city of Dresden just before War's end, a traumatic event they witness from the relative safety of their temporary home in the nearby Erzgebirge. But they are helpless victims of a domineering, egocentric and often cruel and insensitive mother and all suffer lifelong physical and mental damage from their experiences. This is their story, as seen through the eyes of Mark, who travels through his own private hell, but finally emerges with inner strength and happiness through the love of a wonderful woman.