The Roth family lived in Slovakia, had a prosperous business and two young sons, Irving and his older brother Bondi. Irving's earliest memories are of the Catholic maid who was like a mother to him. Soon though, all that changed as laws made it illegal for a non-Jew to work for a Jew. His father was also forced to sell his business and the whole family had to wear Star-of-David yellow patches on their clothes. The family fled to Hungary and the boys were sent to a boarding school. Later, the two boys were picked up, put on a cattle car and sent to a concentration camp. All the horrors of the camp are described in excruciating detail - the hunger, the hard work, the constant fear. The boys always had each other until after a couple of years they were separated. In spite of these hardships, Irving survived. Perhaps it was because he was only 15 years old, young enough and strong enough to somehow make it through both Auschwitz and Buchenwald. Liberation though was bitter-sweet because he never saw his brother again. The miracle is not just Irving's physical survival, but also the embracing of life, hope, and Judaism.