Cilka has been liberated from Auschwitz, but not really. Accused of being a collaborator because she tried to survive, she is sent to Krakow for a "hearing" and then to a camp in Siberia. The book begins with the liberation of Auschwitz and we get an idea of what Cilka has endured through brief flashbacks. I'm both anxiously wanting to read more, and dreading her story at the same time.