April 1939. Warsaw, Poland. To the casual observer, the houses on Podwale Street look very much alike. Yet at 16 Podwale, nothing is as it seems. Within, the walls hold many secrets that could destroy the lives of its inhabitants as they witness the city’s ever-mounting tide of Nazism. Wealthy recluse Elwira Malinowska is more an observer than participant in life. In her seclusion at 16 Podwale, she watches the world pass her by. Then Raz Zielinsky comes to work as a housemaid for her father, and Elwira’s life is suddenly divisible by two -- the time before Raz and the time after. Years pass, and the women become lovers. They depend on each other. Elwira is Raz’s protector, and Raz is Elwira’s conduit to the outside world, where people speak of nothing but the continual threat of war with Germany. Elwira, a steadfast Catholic, believes Pope Pius XII will intervene to save Poland from the rumblings of a maniac and an imminent invasion. But when the Pope fails to mediate peace and the political situation worsens, Elwira and Raz plan their escape to freedom.

The View from 16 Podwale Street

“Let me help you. Let me arrange for the safety of a very dear friend. Will you promise to think about it?” His voice came to her as if from a distant place, even though he was sitting across from her. 


“And what would become of Raz?” she asked. “We have become…close over the years.”


“Then you must take her with you. We can do this but you mustn’t wait too long.” He got up and went over to the window. “You must let more light in here, Wira.”


“I cannot,” she said. “My eyes.”


“I was speaking of another matter.”


“It will be a different world, and I’m afraid many will not survive. Please promise me you will think about what I’ve said.”


She got up and went over to him. “Yes, I will think of it, but this is my world and has been since I was a young girl.”


“Well, relatively speaking, I suppose I am.”


Chapter 6