1991. After fleeing the war zone of their small Croatian town a mother and two children are housed along with other displaced persons at a former communist school in the village of Kumrovec. For years they share a single room waiting to hear whether the narrators father survived the war. In the meantime life goes on for the teenage protagonist. First loves bloom and burn new friendships are acquired and lost. But she never loses her shy insightful voice nor her selfdeprecating sense of humor. H