The documentary shares the story of the Weber family’s life in Berlin during World War II. Their father, Alexander Weber, was imprisoned in a concentration camp before being released under continued surveillance, while their mother, Lina, who was involved in the resistance movement, was arrested and later died in Auschwitz in 1943. During the war, the seven children survived by hiding on the farm of Arthur and Paula Schmidt, a German couple who protected them for two years despite the dangers surrounding them.
Beth Lane explained that the idea for the film began after she traveled to Germany with her mother in 2017 and visited the farm where the children once hid. Meeting descendants of the Schmidt family inspired her to preserve the story before it disappeared with time. She also relied heavily on the memories of her late uncle Alfons, whose experiences helped shape the documentary’s narrative and reveal the painful realities her family endured under Nazi persecution.
To enter the United States after the war, the siblings were forced to claim they were orphans, leaving their father behind in Germany. They believed he would join them shortly afterward, but the reunion took a decade. Once in America, the children were placed in separate foster homes around Chicago rather than staying together. Ginger was eventually adopted by Rosalynde and Joshua Speigel, and because she struggled to adjust to her new life, she lost contact with most of her siblings for many years.
Despite the hardships, Ginger built a successful life in America, becoming a ballerina, wife, mother, and grandmother. In 1986, all seven Weber siblings reunited for the first time in 40 years to honor the anniversary of their arrival in the United States. The emotional reunion reminded them of the strength of family bonds and the importance of reconnecting, no matter how much time has passed. Their story remains a powerful example of survival, resilience, gratitude, and hope in the face of unimaginable tragedy.
