In a novel that spans centuries and countries, the individual lives and experiences of four twelve-year-old girls coalesce to tell the story of one Sephardic Jewish family. In Toledo, Spain, in 1492, Benvenida scrawls a message on the wall of her home before leaving with her family for Naples; they have chosen migration over conversion to Catholicism. But with the rise of antisemitism in Italy, their time there, too, will be limited. In 1923, Benvenida’s descendant, Reina, lives in peace with Muslims, Christians, and other Jews in Constantinople. When Reina is caught spending time with her neighbor, Sadik, her father disowns her and arranges a marriage for her in Cuba, where her aunt lives. In 1961, Reina’s youngest child, Allegra, is eager to become a brigadista and teach people in the Cuban countryside to read; she signs up against the wishes of her father, who is skeptical of the Revolution. After her older siblings escape Cuba, Allegra plans to move to the US with her heartbroken parents, but only she can secure passage as part of the Pedro Pan airlift. Finally, in 2003 Paloma is traveling to Spain with her mother, Allegra, and grandmother, Reina. The story comes full circle at the Sephardic Museum in Toledo, where the family unknowingly admires the message written by their very own ancestor, Benvenida. While heartache abounds for this family, so too does resilience; and while the timeline is sprawling, the girls are connected by tradition, pride, history, and a great love of music. (Ages 10-14)