 
 
 
|
1933. The world begins the descent to war...Germany: From a café table in Nuremberg's main square, Karl von Kleist watches with dismay as students toss 'subversive' books onto a bonfire. In a wealthy district, the Bronstein family lights Sabbath candles, while across town Reinhardt, Karl's half-brother, launches a fire attack that will slowly bring the Bronsteins to the brink of ruin.
England: At Hadleigh Hall, Lady Clarissa expresses admiration for 'Herr Hitler,' the newly-elected chancellor of Germany. With her is James, her grandson, who wears two faces: cordial with his own class but dismissive of the estate workers. In a cottage on the Hadleigh estate, Sam Harding, the estate's ostler, broods over a family secret. How much should he tell Seth, his son? Soon Seth will undergo his own ordeal when he is accused by James of theft.
Elsewhere, Charlotte Driver, recalling her past of nursing during the Great War, causes her daughter, Louise, to wonder if studying German at Oxford is a self-indulgence during this time of mass unemployment. Ultimately Louise's fluency in German will enable her to carry out acts of daring that will impress even Churchill.
As war approaches, these people will enjoy love, endure hatred, perform staggering acts of courage, and suffer brutal betrayals. And some, having sown the wind, will reap the whirlwind - but in unexpected ways.
|
