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

Elwira wouldn’t speak of the incident during lunch and refused to do so in the afternoon. She said she preferred to remain in the sitting room at her desk. Alone. She told Raz she wanted to read her book.


After dinner, Elwira told Raz what happened. 


They sat together in silence, the only sound the ticking of the two clocks, and when they both struck the hour in unison, Elwira said, “It’s late, but tomorrow we must work on our plan.”


“I didn’t know we had one. Do we?” Raz asked.


Elwira laughed. “No, not yet, but we need one if we go to war with Germany.”


“Yes,” Elwira said, “just in case. I’m convinced we must be prepared. It’s troubling that I’ve given it so little…please forgive me, Raz. I have failed you and I have failed us.”


Raz heard her friend’s voice grow weaker. “No, you haven’t failed either of us.” She put her arms around Elwira and tried to reassure her. “It was that bitch today who did this to you, and to us.”


Chapter 13