It's April 1939. As the F hrer edges towards an invasion of Poland, total war looms in Europe. However in Krakow, seventeen-year-old Marie Karska's primary concern is the unexplained disappearance of her mother fifteen years ago, and her father Dominik's unbreakable silence on the matter. Even his wife's name is a secret he guards closely. Dominik, a well-respected and innovative doctor at the local hospital, has devoted his life to caring for his only daughter. Yet a black fear haunts him, over the questionable act he committed to keep Marie safe. And with German troops now marching to the border, he needs to find her a husband. One who will protect her when he no longer can. But Marie has already met the man she wants to marry- her childhood friend Ben. She's determined that his Jewish faith won't stand in the way of their future together. And nor will her father's refusal to explain the past stop her from unpicking his darkest secret.
