Born in Germany in the year 1921, Magdelena von Opstal comes of age during one of the most arduous periods of the twentieth century. When the Second World War breaks out, her tailoring and nursing skills provide not only work but also some sense of sanity in a world gone insane. However, try as she may, Magdelena's experiences are governed more by fate than by circumstance.Amidst the turmoil of war, two attractive men tug at Magdelena's heart. One is everything she ever dreamed of in a man but his reserve speaks of some secret he hesitates to share. The other, a lieutenant, is attentive and trusted by her father, but Magdelena, as the General's daughter, questions his motives.Fate tests her as she travels from Saint-Lô near the beaches of Normandy, through the disintegrating Reich, and to the once Roman city of Trier. As war's inescapable outcome nears, Magdelena is fatefully caught up in a web of suspicion and arrested by the despicable Gestapo for treason. Held prisoner by the SS, she is alone anticipating her fate. As the executioner's footsteps get louder, Magdelena draws her strength and courage from thinking about the one man she truly loves.