Steven Muenzer

Germany is on the verge of turning upside down as Sonny, a young Jew floating through life, does just a little of that, a little of that. Dramatic change comes when his father suddenly dies and then his mother, too. Turning to smuggling in the waning days of the Republic, Sonny travels to Aachen and over the border into Belgium. With his mentor, Emil, he collects, then delivers, contraband cigarettes, wine, liquor, and trinkets to Berlin. In January 1933, his life, like thousands of others, changes beyond recognition with Hitler’s rise to power. Out of the gloom Sonny and his friends hatch a scheme to help Jews flee the increasingly hostile environment of Berlin. While it’s never enough, it’s all they can do . . .