In the final phase of World War II and even after the fighting had ended in East Prussia, many children lost their parents or were separated from them in the chaos of the collapsing front lines. In their desperation, they often banded together with other children and roamed the forests, driven by hunger and fear of Soviet soldiers, Lithuanian farmers, or other beggar children. Later, these desperate, abandoned children and adolescents were referred to as 'Wolfskinder' (wolf children). Hans Paul has given voice to the misery and suffering of these lost little souls in an exciting and touching story presented in novel form. When a mother, who is crossing East Prussia on foot with her children towards Lithuania, dies from exhaustion, the children must fend for themselves. Like thousands of others, they seek refuge in Lithuania and endure hunger, terror of death, and humiliation on their perilous journey. A little-noticed and almost forgotten part of the suffering history of East Germany comes to life again in this novel.