The following version of this book was used to create this study guide: Fox, Lauren. Send for Me. Penguin Random House Publishing, 2021.

At the beginning of the novel, Annelise is a Jewish teenager living in Germany in the 1930s with her parents and sister. The family owns a bakery and is a mainstay in their community. Annelise often clashes with her mother while they both work in the bakery, but Klara is motivated by instilling a strong work ethic in her daughter.

Annelise begins a relationship with a boy from school, Max, falling in love with him and dreaming of marriage. Despite making plans together and pursuing a serious relationship, Max leaves Annelise for somebody else, breaking her heart and upending her future. As Annelise grows older and meets another man, the politics in Germany begin to deteriorate and the community grows less safe for Jews.

Annelise marries Walter and they settle down to have a baby. Annelise’s parents did not approve of Walter at first as he was previously married, but they acquiesce when they witness his devotion to their daughter.
Annelise and Walter have their German citizenship revoked and must leave the country after their daughter, Ruth, is born. Annelise is distraught that she will not be able to raise her daughter alongside her own mother, but she knows that Germany is no longer safe for her new family.

Annelise and Walter travel by boat to the United States and settle with a host family, the Vogels, while they try to find jobs and their own place to live. Annelise works as a house cleaner and laundress while Walter works in a local shop. They both dream of returning to Germany and keep up to date on the news through Annelise’s mother’s letters. They work hard to try and get visas for Annelise’s family to no avail.

Annelise grows closer to Walter’s friend, Oskar, and dreams of another life with him. Walter also begins to fantasize about Walter’s partner, Charlotte, who becomes one of Annelise’s closest friends. The two couples provide comfort to each other and offer a way to remember the better times when they lived in Germany.

In the final letter she receives from home, Annelise learns her mother has passed away from illness. She is devastated, but continues to care for her family.

Concurrently with Annelise’s story is the story of her granddaughter, Clare, who lives in modern-day Milwaukee. Clare is living at home with her mother, Ruth, and she struggles to maintain long-term relationships despite desperately dreaming of being a wife and mother. She finally meets a kind man named Matthew from England. He has a son living in England with his ex-wife, a fact which leads Clare’s mother to disapprove of him initially.

Clare travels to England with Matthew to meet his son, and she believes that their relationship will have a bright future. She knows that their path will not be easy, and both parties will have to sacrifice and endure homesickness, but she is willing to try.