Vienna in the 1920s. Gerda Kronstein grows up as the daughter of an artist and a pharmacist in the upper echelons of Viennese society, surrounded by nannies, salons, and chamber music. Even as a child and teenager, she stands out with her rebellious nature, which she later transforms into political activism: never one to hold back her opinions and impressed by Marxist ideas, the young author confronts the prevailing conditions of her time. "Fireweed" compellingly narrates the development of the renowned historian, her beginnings, and the formative experiences before and during the National Socialist era in Vienna, as well as the time following her emigration to the USA. With a great deal of self-irony and wit, Gerda Lerner reflects on her journey, her failed first marriage, her happy second one, her role as a homemaker, and her rather late calling.