Greg Dawson was an adult before he discovered that his mother (a Ukranian-born Jew) spent the entirety of World War Two hiding her Jewish identity as a piano prodigy playing for Nazi soldiers. Dawson, a journalist, decided to retrace his mother's life in order to tell her tale.
Zhanna Arkashyna's story is nothing less than remarkable. Living in relative peace in the Ukraine, Zhanna's life is drastically altered in a matter of months when Nazi Germany invades Russia in 1941. Stalin's propaganda machine controlled all news and media, which meant they were completely unprepared when the Germans invaded.
Rounding up all the Jews in her city, Zhanna and her family are sent on a forced march that eventually culminates in the killing of 15,000 Jews at the Dorbitsky Yar ravine. Desperate to saver her and her sister Frina, Zhanna's father manages to bribe a German guard, allowing the sisters to escape into the wilderness. Zhanna recounts his last words to her: "I don't care what you do, just live."
Relying on the kindness of strangers (who knew they could be shot and killed for helping Jews) Zhanna and Frina manage to create false identities, finally ending up at an orphanage. The sister's musical talent is discovered, and she and her sister a forced to perform for Nazi soldiers during the rest of the war. They are later moved to Berlin, staying just blocks from Hilter's headquarters.
While the wartime story was fascinating, it was the the sister's survival after the defeat of Germany I found to be the most interesting. As Russians, it was expected they would return to Russia, where Stalin was systematically killing any of his countrymen who happened to be captured by the Nazis. Their adoption by an American soldier and his wife allows them passage to America, where their caretakers set out to ensure they are provided with the opportunities to study at Juilliard. Zhanna would go on to marry a fellow musician, settling in Indiana to continue playing the piano and raise her family.
