In Nazi-occupied Latvia, two sisters are forced to make an impossible choice. To save a child, one sister must flee, while the other must stay behind. The secret of what happens next will endure for generations. But the truth won’t stay hidden forever...
Riga, 1943. Cycling the streets to deliver fresh loaves, Zenta passes empty houses, curtains open, doors unlocked, their occupants forced out by Russian or German hands. Above the newly built town hall, a Nazi flag waves in the breeze. Since her brother became a soldier and her sister joined the resistance, Zenta is all her parents have left.
Then one morning her sister returns. Tired, worn, with a newly rounded belly, Estere is as determined as ever to fight for their freedom. She convinces Zenta to join the Latvian resistance efforts and use her bread deliveries as a cover for smuggling letters, newspapers and supplies.
When the bell over the bakery door chimes and German officers cross the threshold, Estere pleads with her sister to run – and to take her new-born daughter with her. An agreement between sisters made in the desperation of war sends Zenta to a new life across the world, a baby at her side, with a secret she’ll never tell. Until, decades later, now a grandmother, the smells and warmth of the bakery still in her heart, Zenta is finally ready to set the truth free...
An emotional and heartbreaking tale of sacrifice, courage and love that spotlights the resilience of women in the Second World War. Perfect for readers of Kristin Hannah, Fiona Valpy and Kelly Rimmer.