Black Forest

Ninety-five-year-old Granny Gertie lies on her deathbed mulling over her decision to finally tell her lurid life story to her descendants. Are they ready to hear it? They'll never be ready, she suspects, but tell it she must.

World War II. Germany. A Nazi husband. Three of Gerta Gruber's children have been snatched away into oblivion. What will the hausfrau do to save her other children? Garnering a cunning strength she did not know she possessed, she does things she never fathomed. Prostitution. Espionage. Murder. With the aid of a secret klatsch of war-weary women friends, nothing can stop Gerta from saving her family.

The last thing she expects is to fall in love along the way. Although their fate hangs by unraveling threads, Gerta and Leo's forbidden love cannot be undone.

Years later, when Granny Gertie reveals these dark secrets, her descendants wonder if the old girl has gone batty. But one by one, they come to realize they have never truly known their matriarch. Their own trials and tribulations suddenly seem trivial now that they know they come from such staggering strength. Granny Gertie's life story is one of undying love and, ultimately, eternal hope.