2015 Carol Award, Historical Fiction

Gisèle Duchant guards a secret that could cost her life.

Tunnels snake through the hill under her family’s medieval chateau in Normandy. Now, with Hitler’s army bearing down, her brother and several friends are hiding in the tunnels, resisting the German occupation of France. But when German soldiers take over the family’s chateau, Gisèle is forced to host them as well—while caring for a Jewish child and harboring the resistance fighters right below their feet.

A present day story weaves through the past one as Chloe Sauver, Gisèle’s granddaughter, arrives in Normandy. After calling off her engagement with a political candidate, Chloe pays a visit to the chateau to escape publicity and work with a documentary filmmaker, Riley, who has uncovered a fascinating story about Jews serving in Hitler’s army. Nothing can prepare Chloe for the shock of what she and Riley discover at her family’s chateau…