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Helga's father left his children with his sister, Margaret, while he went off to fight for Germany in the war.
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Helga's mother left Helga and her brother, Peter, alone in their Berlin flat to become a Nazi SS officer at Auschwitz.
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Helga and Peter were under the care of their grandmother from Poland rather than moving away from their flat to live with Margaret and a family friend.
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Helga's father came home for a short leave from the war and ended up ignoring Helga and spending time with a young woman named Ursula.
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After spending 3 days with Ursula, Helga's father decided to marry her and they got engaged
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Helga’s grandmother went back to Poland, leaving the kids with Margaret.
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Helga and Peter are sent to live with their now step-mother, Ursula
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Helga misbehaves and is locked in the study and slapped by Ursula the first time
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Helga ran away from home and hid from Ursula and the neighbours in the courtyard and cellar
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Ursula takes Helga to an institution to be evaluated where Helga has her hair shaved and her clothes taken away.
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Helga was so sick and scared that she wet the bed every night and was beaten and starved and tormented for it
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Helga went on a hunger strike by refusing to eat and the institution called Ursula to take her home.
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Ursula walks with Helga to her new boarding school where she is immediately welcomed by groups of children who invite her to play, which ends up bringing Helga to tears.
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Helga's friends and classmates at the school taught her stilt walking, which allowed Helga to have something to keep her busy and happy.
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Hilde picks up Helga to bring her back to Berlin. She doesn't disclose the situation in Berlin to Helga until they are on their way home, where Helga learns that the population of Berlin is starving and in ruins.
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On the way home from the boarding school, Helga and Hilde get caught out in the streets during a air raid. A woman that they were on the street with ends up getting decapitated, which scarred Helga for a long time.
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Helga and her family are invited to Hitler's personal underground bunker for a meal.
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Helga and the other children from the bunker are lined up to meet Hitler. Hitler asks the children each a question and shakes their hand.
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Heavy artillery fire on brought more frequent air raids, which forced Helga and her community to spend more time in their bunker.
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Erika bleeds out due to her injuries in front of Helga and the rest of the neighbours in the cellar.
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Helga's father returned home after the war and spent all of his time with his wife, Ursula, treating Helga and Peter with cold disregard.
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Helga, Peter, and Ursula all board a plane to Austria where they will live with the children's father and paternal grandparents.
