Summary

In the Prologue, it is July, 1945, in Garmisch, Germany. Late at night, an unidentified woman sneaks downstairs from her husband into her bakery's kitchen. From a split in the floor boarding, she pulls out a letter she has hidden. It features delicate handwriting and an old-fashioned wax seal. Hiding the note beneath the mattress, she returns to bed with her husband.

In Chapter 1, it is November 5, 2007. The address is 3168 Franklin Ridge Drive, El Paso, Texas. Reba Adams from Sun City Magazine calls Elsie Meriwether at Elsie’s German Bakery on Trawood Drive numerous times. Reba is calling for an article she is writing, but she receives no response. The article is a feel-good feature on international Christmas done locally. Riki, Reba's fiancé who works for US Customs and Border Protection, heads out to work. Reba reflects on first meeting him while doing a...