This is a personal story of a young German woman and her family and how they defied the odds of war to stay alive in Germany during WWII. The author narrates her own experiences of growing up in the Ruhr, the horrors she witnessed under the Third Reich, the indoctrination inflicted on her generation, her compulsory service in an underground armaments' factory, and the constant fear of death, from Allied air raids or Hitler's terror regime. But this memoir also depicts, like a parallel universe in a time of war, the unshakable bond of a family life in the author's home, her parents' upholding of old German traditions, their love for classical music, literature, and nature. At the same time it also describes her determination as an aspiring medical student to attend university and pursue a seemingly 'normal' life in the midst of devastation, tragedy, and despair.