In May of 1939 Ruth Schwarz, a young woman of 19, left her family in Berlin and alone boarded a ship for England. Germany was no longer safe for Jews. Ruth was lucky to get out; her family remained behind, firm in the belief that the difficulties with Hitler at the helm of the Nazi government would blow over and the Germany they knew to be decent and cultured would prevail.

Little did Ruth know that she would never see her family again.

So began a ten-year odyssey that would take Ruth around the globe in search of a home and meaning in a world that often seemed indifferent to her plight.

Through interviews, excerpts of family letters, and Ruth's journals, Ruth's daughter, Kay Danley has pieced together an exploration of her mother's character and the events and relationships that shaped it. Danley shares her mother's experiences through a filter of her personal perspective as a child of a first-generation immigrant. This story raises universal questions and reflections about our collective humanity—how we are shaped by loss, the rippling of trauma through generations, and its impact on our lives.