A Train in Winter

They were teachers, students, chemists, writers, and housewives; a singer at the Paris Opera, a midwife, a dental surgeon. They distributed anti-Nazi leaflets, printed subversive newspapers, hid resisters, secreted Jews to safety, transported weapons, and conveyed clandestine messages. Strangers to each other, hailing from villages and cities across France, these brave women were united in hatred and defiance of their Nazi occupiers. Eventually, the Gestapo hunted down 230 of these women and imprisoned them outside Paris. In January 1943, they were sent to their final destination: Auschwitz. Only 49 would return to France. A Train in Winter draws on interviews with these women and their families, archives, and documents held by World War II resistance organizations to uncover a dark chapter of history that offers an inspiring portrait of ordinary people, bravery and survival, and the enduring power of friendship.