""Ellen will build bridges."" Was Frau Burmeister's 'prediction' merely frivolous or might there be more to it than anyone realized? Leaving tragedy behind, Ellen Marshall sails toward a new life in France. But the sharp claws of Hitler's Nazi Germany clutch at Europe, and soon ominous events confront Ellen, her family and her French and German friends. As Hitler's tanks smash through the Ardennes Forest, threatening France, Ellen finds that a new life will demand compassion, cunning and courage.