In Czechoslovakia in 1969 during the authoritarian Soviet occupation, 17-year-old Pavol persuades two of his friends, Štěpán and Tomáš, to help him write a letter of protest to the government. When they fail to deliver their message, though, Pavol publicly self-immolates. His act turns the government’s suspicious eyes on Štěpán, a star hockey player who is kicked off his team for suspected “homosexual activity” and tortured for information; Tomáš, who is autistic (undiagnosed) and the son of a cruel party member; and Pavol’s pregnant girlfriend, Lída, who lives with her alcoholic father, Ondřej, and would like to flee the country to protect her unborn child. As their situations grow more desperate, Lída, Štěpán, and Tomáš hatch a daring and dangerous plan to escape across the river to Austria. Gripping and intense, this novel delves deeply into the lives, emotions, and dreams of three young people who are trapped in a violently oppressive society.  (Age 14 and older)