Moments before the slaughter of Jewish orphans in Riga during WWII, a half-Gentile orphan is rescued by a young Jewish woman. The next four years of Arturs' life are spent dodging captivity in the forests of Nazi-occupied Latvia. The boy's faith in God and natural optimism carry him through the resulting trauma, but he must overcome his anger and shame when he is sent to America as an adolescent.

Moments before the slaughter of Jewish orphans in Riga during WWII, a half-Gentile orphan is rescued by a young Jewish woman. The next four years of Arturs' life are spent dodging captivity in the forests of Nazi-occupied Latvia. The boy's faith in God and natural optimism carry him through the resulting trauma, but he must overcome his anger and shame when he is sent to America as an adolescent.