"Make me beautiful." That's what Marci wants from the old woman, not "inner beauty", but real, physical attractiveness to save her from being a teenage outcast. The woman offers a gift in the form of a story, a strange tale from 1940s Bosnia about a group of soldiers who terrorize a town of women and children, brutalize their priest, and murder a child. Somehow, in the midst of the horror, a window opens to another reality, a world of impossible beauty, infectious music, irresistible laughter, and a vision that somehow changes everything.

By the time the story ends, Marci hears the heavenly music herself. So will you. Once you hear this unforgettable story, you'll never be the same.