Martha was a formidable woman who rose from a poor background to achieve modest prosperity. But she could never forget the memories of her deprived childhood as a child labourer with a farming family in the Bernese hinterlands: Show no weakness. Work relentlessly. Be tough on yourself and others. These beliefs also influenced her sons, who were determined to succeed in the post-war period, and her grandchildren, who rebel and, for the first time, dare to dream of a different, freer life.

The most personal novel by the Swiss bestselling author.