Allenstein, East Prussia, 1939 – Charlotte von Datski’s parents hold a glittering ball to celebrate her eighteenth birthday and announce her engagement to a Prussian count. But Hitler is about to plunge the world into war… Soon, Charlotte will be forced to leave behind her beloved homeland and flee to England carrying a secret that both strengthens and torments her. Years later, Charlotte’s granddaughter, Laura, is shocked when she discovers the truth about her grandmother’s past. Laura persuades Charlotte to embark on a journey to her childhood home in Eastern Europe. There, as Charlotte re-reads her diary and recalls the one great love of her life, she faces the demons that have haunted her for over half a century.