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

“She didn’t make them. She bought them.”


“Oh.” He sipped his coffee and munched on a cake, taking great care to wipe his mouth judiciously on the fine linen cloth. “It was a terrific film, the Hitchcock. Fast, funny, and thrilling. The title character, the lady who seemed to vanish from the train was named Frost, an odd, white-haired woman. Of course, I thought of you.”


“I see,” she said, and then set her cup and saucer down with a clatter. “Odd and white-haired. Yes, I understand why you thought of me.”


“No, no. What I meant was you would have enjoyed the film. Much more, I think, than my companion who didn’t laugh once or comment on the film when I saw her home.”


Chapter 9