Six-year-old Gretl Schmidt is on a train bound for Aushwitz. Jak?b Kowalski is planting a bomb on the tracks.

As World War II draws to a close?? Jak?b fights with the Polish resistance against the crushing forces of Germany and Russia. They intend to destroy a German troop transport?? but Gretl??s unscheduled train reaches the bomb first.

Gretl is the only survivor. Though spared from the concentration camp?? the orphaned German