Mirek Friedman and Blanka Davidovich first meet during World War II in the camp of Muehldorf (Dachau 3b) Germany. Mirek, a freedom fighter in the Czech underground, saves Blanka's life by distracting the Nazi camp guards when it is discovered that she used a fake identity to transfer from Auschwitz to Dachau, a camp where she would have a better chance of surviving. Though Dachau 3b was perhaps the only camp in Germany where men and women were not segregated at work, the punishment for personal contact was death. And yet, in this hellish place two human hearts ingeniously find one another.

As their romance builds so, too, does the danger for Mirek, who has infiltrated the camp on a secret mission. For fear that their liaison might be discovered and she might be tortured, he does not tell her of his mission, and escapes from the camp, promising Blanka that he will find her later. After the liberation, months go by, and Blanka fears that Mirek was killed. Then one day, in Prague, he comes looking for her-- and together they discover that the love they cherished in the camp, survived as they survived. Love was their oasis of hope, and they will carry it with them for the rest of their lives.