A young Czechoslovakian girl has survived life in the worst of the concentration camps during WWII. She's done so by acting as a prostitute for German officers. It's not like she has a say in the matter. If she wants to live, she does what she's told. At the end of the war, when the camp is freed by Russian soldiers, her activities in the camp are discovered. They determine that she's conspired with the Nazis and she's sentenced to a long stint in prison. She's moved to Krakow, where the conditions aren't much better than in the camp. Then, she and a group of other women are sent on to another location. The conditions on the train, where they're held in a cattle car, are nearly as bad as at the concentration camp. Cilka is a strong young woman, she takes what comes her way and does the best she can. This book drew me in from page one, and I can't wait to read the rest of it.