Based on the true stories of three Ukrainian families during World War II, the novel begins in L'viv, Ukraine, right after the invasion of the Germans. The journeys they must make to reach Post-War Europe are astounding in their bravery; the atrocities, horrifying; the humor, gentle and the convictions, fierce.
The Lukians: Severyn, a famous painter, and his wife, Olena, a writer and composer, flee Ukraine and away from the mistrustful and chaotic environment caused by the political factions of the Underground resistance. Along with their two young sons and Olena's sister - a beautiful, clever and shrewd spy - they attempt to reach Switzerland. However, they are surrounded by the Germans in Slovakia and deported forever away from their goal.
The Hanchars: Siblings Maksym, Marianna and Danylo escape into the Underground to fight alongside the Germans, and against the Russians. When Maksym and the other senior officers of the cell convince the Germans to recognize the "forest fighters" as an official legion, things take an interesting twist as everyone anticipates the fierceness of the returning Red Tide.
Roksana Mystets'ka: Alone, she has fled into the Underground after her priest-brother is sent to the gulag. Roksana - strong, sassy and a fanatical patriot - must face some of the hardest choices in her life as her homeland is being burnt to the ground.
These are the stories of love and betrayal, deaths and rebirth, separations and reunions, during one of the most controversial chapters in Ukrainian history and World War II history. Deep Wells, Burning Forests examines the meaning of patriotism in a misunderstood country that constantly struggled for independence, freedomand the right of man, and made a Faustian deal with the enemy in order to get them.