In 1925, Latvia enjoyed a prosperous resurgence of life as a country that had won independence after WWI.

Into this setting, Gerda Roze was born, the only child of two doting parents who sent her to the finest schools to study with the best teachers. By her early teens, Gerda was an accomplished pianist and dreamed of entering medical school. But on her 15th birthday, her idyllic world collapsed when the Soviet Union invaded her homeland. From that moment forward, Gerda led many lives as she and her mother struggled against insurmountable odds to rebuild the future she lost on that day. The young girl who dreamed of being a doctor would eventually at the age of 40 find her true voice in art. Gerda's story is one of plans that arise from chaotic circumstances, determination in the face of rock-solid roadblocks, and hope in the midst of despair.