As a mortician, Michael Baumann, a Jew pretending to be Aryan, devised a highly unorthodox surgical procedure that converted Jews to Aryans. This helped more than 400 Jews escape from Vienna to Switzerland. With five other Jews pretending to be Aryan, an elaborate escape and spy network was created. While most of the operations were successful there were some failures. Some died so that others could live. Carefully researched, the story blends fiction with factual history incorporating actual events and people. The novel creates a realistic portrayal of Jewish life and death before and during the Nazi takeover of Austria.