Heike Arendt depicts the fate of a girl growing up in a seemingly normal family. Both parents are academics; the mother runs a successful law firm. No one suspects that the father is being pursued by Russian spies and that the mother doesn't know how to be a mother. The girl tries in vain to draw the outside world’s attention to her family's issues. With intellect and resilience, she manages to compensate for the lack of love and affection. It is only when she dares to acknowledge and take her true feelings seriously that she begins to live her own life. The autobiographical book addresses psychological violence inflicted by a mother suffering from borderline personality disorder and its devastating consequences. Heike Arendt provides insights into a world of thoughts and feelings that remains hidden for many people. She describes this impressively.