Roberto is a young Italian teenager in Venice during WWII, who goes with some friends to an American cowboy movie. During the movie German soldiers come in and take all the boys at the movies and load them into a train. The Italians are allies of the Germans and the boys wonder whether perhaps they are going to train as soldiers and yet are concerned as to why they can't tell their parents that they are leaving.

During the long trip, Roberto and his Jewish friend Samuele realise they are not going to be soldiers but are to be put into slave labour. Roberto and Samuele try hard to conceal the fact that Samuele is Jewish. They're starved and beaten, and Samuele finally dies when he is beaten for a pair of boots. Distraught Roberto simply walks out of camp. No one follows and this begins the unplanned escape through the Ukraine and down to the Black Sea during a hard cold winter.

This story is loosely based on the real life story of Guido Fullin. It is real, poignant, tense and invigorating. It tells the story of the human spirit in adversity. Highly recommended for readers 12 and over.

Reviewer Lesley Boon

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