Plot Summary

Middle-aged Polish Jew Jakob Beer reflects on his entire life. When he was an adolescent during World War II, Nazis shot his parents dead and hauled away his sister Bella; he witnessed these events from a hideout in their home. He ran away and was found by Athos Roussos, a Greek national working on an archaeological project in Poland; Athos managed to smuggle Jakob out of Poland and into Greece. A few years later, Athos and Jakob moved to Canada where Athos began work as a teacher. Jakob constantly dreamed of Bella, especially her piano-playing, but never knew her ultimate fate. Jakob's reflections, especially the emotions stemming from his thoughts, led to him authoring a successful book. His marriage to his first wife, the upbeat, outgoing Alex, failed because he couldn't shake the somberness of his past. He couldn't commit to a relationship until he came to understand his dreams about Bella. Meanwhile, he had a lifelong friendship with his neighbors in Canada, a Jewish family who were also fighting the demons of their past.