The Polish currency has been devalued so that Eugenia's savings are worthless. She is forced to sell things to get money:

Eugenia: As she came nearer to the market, Eugenia found her footsteps slowing. Could she really do this? She was an officer’s wife. She was used to having a maid and many fine things. Here she was, reduced to selling things for food. Although the word selling was what she said to herself, somehow it changed to begging by the time she heard it. A flush of shame began to steal its way across her cheeks. She looked around nervously, but could see no one she knew. What would people think of her? As she turned the corner she stopped suddenly, overcome with embarrassment. There in front of her was Anna Wilgut, the banker’s wife. How could she face her now?


Life is rather different for Ola under Soviet invasion:

Ola: She picked up her school case and followed Halina. It was just so annoying that she had to walk home from school with Halina and her friends. Mama had forbidden her from walking home alone, and she had to wait around until Halina came to collect her, before she could leave school.
‘We just do not know what those Soviet soldiers will do,’ Mama had said, ‘you must not come home alone.’
She rubbed her scalp, which still smarted a little after Sabina Milewska had pulled her pigtails. Sabina had been happy to be her friend as long as she thought she was the prettiest in the class and Ola just the cleverest. But today she had overheard several girls saying that they thought Ola was the prettiest as well as the cleverest. Ola rubbed her scalp again and smiled. A warm glow of triumph kept her company the rest of the way home.

Halina is in a labour camp in Siberia where she is being slowly starved:

Halina : She closed her eyes but could not sleep. It was so cold and she was so hungry. She had only been at the camp two months, but already she was fading away. How much longer could she last? She still had just enough energy to get up and walk to the brickfields. Only just. Once winter really took hold, she would not manage it. Her spirit had kept her going and would for a while. But not for much longer. She could not counteract the effect of lack of food. She closed her eyes. If she could sleep, she just might dream of Mama, of Poland. She finally drifted off to oblivion.

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