Lublin, 1941. Yosseleh Karlinski was born to a family of great Jewish rabbis. Gifted with a keen mind and unique talent for chess, he earned the respect and admiration of those around him – especially his childhood friend, Christina. But everything changes when the Germans conquer Lublin, forcing Yosseleh into a new reality in the cramped Lublin Ghetto.

In a place where death can come from any direction and the only way to survive is by hanging on to what little you have, Yosseleh survives thanks to Christina’s visits to the ghetto and, surprisingly, by catching the eye of the most unexpected person imaginable – the chess-loving ghetto commander, Ludwig.

Soon, Yosseleh’s gift becomes his lifeline. His frequent games with Ludwig keep him alive, but Yosseleh knows every move he makes can very well be his last…

Israel, 1967. A chance encounter brings together three individuals with very distinct backgrounds: Talya Karlinski, the Israeli native, grew up hearing stories of her talented cousin Yosseleh, the chess champion from Lublin; Australian Edward Perkins arrived in Israel following the Six-Day War and fell in love with both the culture and with Talya; and Sophie Schmidt, the volunteer from Germany, who is hiding a deep, dark secret of her own…

Four stories tied by the invisible bonds of fate converge in The Lives Left Behind, Tova Aviram-Zylberg’s historical tour-de-force. When the truth is finally set free and their stories laid bare, can love and redemption find their way back through generations of secrets and hate?