Lily is the ultimate poor little rich girl, abandoned by her parents and sent to the best Swiss boarding school money could buy. Her parents have a society wedding in mind for her but then Lily meets Harry Kohle, an ambitious young writer.

When Brooklyn-born Barnard graduate Kathy Ross travels to post-World War II Berlin to help displaced refugees, she never expects to fall instantly, irrevocably in love. But David Kohn, a young American physician, is tormented by the deaths of his parents in the Holocaust, and uncertain about the future. Kathy impulsively marries David's cousin Phil--a decision that will have far-reaching consequences for everyone involved. The charismatic heir apparent to a fur empire, Phil gives Kathy everything she could ever want, including a cherished son. But through the years--even as she forges her own career--Kathy is haunted by her yearning for the one man she can't forget.

Magda's lithe auburn beauty paid the way for her survival as a girl. Her reckless passion for life destroyed the husband who made her a lady. But it was a woman's courage that led her to an atonement of self-sacrifice to save the life of their daughter.

Jed and Martha agree to raise orphaned Daniel to Jed's delight. Martha lets her grief for her two lost daughters ruin her joy of having Daniel to love until Christmas Eve and love wins out.