In the 19th century, German pioneers transformed the empty Steppe regions of southern Ukraine into prosperous farmlands, only to become victims of the Stalin repressions of the 1930's. The German invasion of World War II gave them new hope, which was shattered when the Red Army forced them out of their village and set them on a continental journey amongst the millions of post-war refugees. Based on the author's own family history and first-hand accounts of the survivors.