Vienna 1945: The end of the Second World War as seen through the eyes of a child. Nine-year-old Christl knows as little about peace as children today know about war. Bombed out and destitute, she and her family flee to a posh villa in Neuwaldegg. After the Nazis' capitulation, Red Army soldiers take up quarters in the house. Everyone is afraid of the Russians, who are considered unpredictable. Christl is not. She sees the general anarchy as a great adventure, and in Cohn, the Russian cook, she even finds a real friend.