It is the late 18th century in feudal Germany when 12-year old Karl Schuler becomes orphaned and is sent to live with a local miller where he learns a trade and becomes a young man. He learns of a government sponsored program to settle a new frontier along the Danube River, almost 1,00 miles away. With his new wife, Inge, they begin the long and arduous journey to their new life. Miles away in Eastern Bavaria, Peter Mueller struggles to support his family in the wake of failed crops and high rents. Peter, his wife Katherine and their four children, leave their home in secrecy and set out to settle the new frontier, hopeful of a fresh start for their family. Both families become part of a considerable German immigrant communities known as Danube Swabians.
Six generations later, the descendants of these two families and their communities find themselves facing a new challenge, the onset of German fascism which creates deep divisions in their once peaceful and congenial towns. Initially insulated from the conflict, they cannot escape and become drawn into the war with devasting results.
This is the story of two families whose ancestors participated in the great migration of the late 1700’s and their descendants living in Yugoslavia during the years leading up to the Second World War. It follows the families through the war years and the impact it had on their lives.
It is a story of proud, hardworking people and their determination to survive during very turbulent times. It is a work of fiction, but many of the historical events are accurate and the lives of the people depicted are largely based on stories told and recorded by the people that experienced them.
“An engrossing, satisfyingaccount of the development and disintegration of a lesser-known immigrant community.” Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
