Short Synopsis
A deeply moving and masterfully written story of human resilience and enduring love, The Plum Tree follows a young German woman through the chaos of World War II and its aftermath.

Full Synopsis
"Bloom where you're planted," is the advice Christine Bolz receives from her beloved Oma. But seventeen-year-old domestic Christine knows there is a whole world waiting beyond her small German village. It's a world she's begun to glimpse through music, books—and through Isaac Bauerman, the cultured son of the wealthy Jewish family she works for.

Yet the future she and Isaac dream of sharing faces greater challenges than their difference in stations. In the fall of 1938, Germany is changing rapidly under Hitler's regime. Anti-Jewish posters are everywhere, dissenting talk is silenced, and a new law forbids Christine from returning to her job—and from having any relationship with Isaac. In the months and years that follow, Christine will confront the Gestapo's wrath and the horrors of Dachau, desperate to be with the man she loves, to survive—and finally, to speak out.

Set against the backdrop of the German homefront, this is an unforgettable novel of courage and resolve, of the inhumanity of war, and the heartbreak and hope left in its wake.

"Lambert deftly delivers the Wiseman's nuanced descriptions of everyday life in the countryside. The listeners' senses will come alive through Lambert's remarkable use of pitch, tone, and cadence." ---AudioFile

"The Holocaust was a horrendous time in world history, and Wiseman has added a personal touch on this era." ---VOYA

"The Plum Tree provides an unusual point of view on the Holocaust. It is a story of star-crossed lovers in a time of genocide. This story captures the heart and takes it on a rollercoaster ride." ---Rachelle David, Teen Reviewer