This is a story of love, of war fought on the home front, of intrigue and the uncommon courage of ordinary people. There is a touch of mystery and a hint of the intangible that gives hope in life's most dangerous moments. War often gives rise to situations where loyalties can become blurred and acts of kindness can border on treason. Never is this more apparent than in the life of feisty young Catrin Kieffer. Her father is German, her mother, Welsh, and the love of her life is an American. To overcome the tyranny of the Nazi regime, Catrin joins her parents and their friends in their anti-Nazi resistance work. While Catrin fights to save the remnants of her innocent childhood, she finds solace, asylum and strength in her five cats who symbolize tolerance in the face of prejudice, dignity in the face of cruelty, and love in the face of death. The pinnacle of Catrin's story is met with the fire-bombing of Hamburg, after which we are left asking will nine lives be enough? "An engrossing war tale in which real-world events remain as riveting as the tenacious fictional protagonist." -Kirkus Reviews