The year is 1827. Johann Rauls, a land-owning farmer and his family are living in the small village of Oberzerf in Germany's Rhineland. He and his wife Maria are preparing for their best Christmas in several years. Even in an age of frequent childhood deaths, all of their six children are healthy, happy, and awaiting an exciting Christmas season which will be followed in three or four weeks by the birth of a new brother or sister. There is much to look forward to and be grateful for. No one is prepared for the threatening event that occurs on Christmas Eve. It pushes away all thoughts of the holiday celebration, and becomes a precursor of another tragedy, one which will bring long periods of grief and regret to each member of the household, from Johann himself to the youngest daughter, Leni. This carefully researched novel, based on the genealogical family tree of the author, portrays her ancestors' stories with both the happiness and pain of almost 20 years of family life. It also paints a picture of the class to which the Rauls belonged; the peasant farmers who performed the hard work that supported their homeland but whose absorbing life stories are almost never told.