Roberto is back in Italy at last. His journey has been long and painful since he escaped from the Nazi labor camp in Eastern Europe. Now the Allies are forcing the Nazis north, and life has never been more dangerous for the Italians. Only the partigiani, small bands of resistance fighters, bring them hope. Roberto joins them, carrying secret messages and smuggling guns. But he'll be tortured and killed if he is caught. All he wants is to survive to see his family and Venice again.

The incomparable Donna Jo Napoli has written a heart-wrenching, triumphant successor to Stones in Water, which garnered rave reviews and numerous awards.