'The Blind Side of the Heart' tells of two World Wars, of hope, loneliness and love, and of a life lived in terrible times. It is a great family novel, a powerful portrayal of an era, and the story of a fascinating woman.

Thomas and Ella grow up under the roof of their overpowering mother, a sculptress and a fervent believer in the socialist ideology of East Germany. She barely acknowledges Ella's vulnerable loneliness and Thomas's quiet aspirations. They create an imaginary world as a shelter from the coldness that surrounds them.

Scientist Nelly Senff is desperate to escape her life in East Berlin. The father of her two children has supposedly committed suicide, and she wants to leave behind the prying eyes of the Stasi. But the West is not all she hoped for.