It is 1945, and there is peace. Three Jewish women, all widowed, retreat to the family house by the sea. They are left to themselves, without any relatives to fall back on, and without any help or support from the Dutch government. The caring Serline, the much older Judit and the youngest, the sensitive Roza, try to rebuild their lives. During summer, when the nephews and nieces visit, the patchwork family seems healed. Seven years later, this tender happiness comes to an end. During one long night, the heart of this novel, the women watch their war-torn lives pass by. A night filled with doubts and regrets, full of confessions about love and betrayal, until inevitably a new dawn rises.