It's 1939, and Memel, Lithuania, is no longer safe for Jewish families like the Kaplans. Nazi troops have overtaken much of Europe, and hundreds of thousands of Jews have tried to flee Hitler's advance. Most do not succeed. The Kaplans — Igor, his little sister, Nomi, and their parents, Bernard and Nadja — are determined to survive. Staying one small step ahead of the German troops, they encounter the legendary Japanese consul Chiune Sugihara, who manages to finagle exit visas for the entire family — everyone, that is, except for the Russian-born Mrs. Kaplan, who must somehow secure her own papers. Can she succeed where so many have failed, and find refuge with her family, or will she meet the grim fate of millions of other Jews? The Kaplans' desperate attempts to obtain safe passage, and their harrowing journey three-quarters of the way around the world, on ship and on the Trans-Siberian Express, form a riveting narrative that puts a personal face on the often-overwhelming human tragedy that is the Holocaust.