Auschwitz, 1943: As I held the tiny baby in my arms, my fingers traced the black tattoo etched across her little thigh. And I prayed that one day this set of numbers, identical to her mother’s, would have the power to reunite a family torn apart by war. Ana Kaminski is pushed through the iron gates of Auschwitz beside her frightened young friend Ester Pasternak. As they reach the front of the line, Ana quietly declares herself a midwife and Ester her assistant. Their arms are tattooed and they’re ordered to the maternity hut. Ana knows the fate of many are in her hands, and vows to do everything she can to save them. When two guards in their chilling SS uniforms march in and snatch a blond-haired baby from its mother it’s almost too much for Ana to bear. Consoling the distraught woman, Ana realises that the guards are taking the healthiest babies and placing them with German families, so they will survive. And there are whispers the war is nearly over. Ana and Ester begin to secretly tattoo little ones with their mother’s numbers, praying one day they might be reunited. Then, early one morning, Ana notices the small bump under Ester’s thin striped clothing.
