The book blends two parallel narratives. Lilly is experiencing difficulty re-entering the work force after taking time out to raise her children. She learns of her father-in-law's (Alfred) astonishing history as a young Jewish boy brought up in Munich during the rise of Hitler. She decides to write her father-in-law's biography, which is both tragic and humorous. Lilly documents the terrifying arrest of Alfred's father during Kristallnacht, the family's escape to the United States, and the often humerous antics of her father-in-law as a U.S. citizen, soldier, spy, and humanitarian. Lilly's mother dies of a stroke, and Lilly discovers that her mother had harbored a desire to become a writer. At the end of the book, Lilly succeeds in publishing her father-in-law's biography and launching a career as a writer, unwittingly honoring her mother and paying homage to her father-in-law's legacy. The book is both tragic and humorous, and the lives of the two protagonists illustrate parallel experiences whereby the loss of one life gives new life to another.