The seventh cross

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Seven prisoners escape from Westhofen concentration camp, leading to the erection of seven crosses as a warning. The commandant is determined to recapture them within a week. Six are quickly caught, but George Heisler evades capture, becoming the focus of a relentless manhunt. Trust becomes a luxury as George navigates a world where his brother is now an SS officer and his lover turns against him. Hunted and desperate, he knows that anyone who helps him could face dire consequences. This gripping narrative not only serves as a thrilling tale but also as a poignant reflection on the grim realities of Nazi Germany. It offers a profound insight into the psyche of ordinary people grappling with fear and conflicting loyalties during a dark chapter in history. The novel, published in 1942, was a bestseller and inspired a 1944 MGM film starring Spencer Tracy. Seghers aimed to reveal the complexities of fascist Germany through the story of one man. After facing multiple setbacks, including the loss of manuscripts to war, the surviving text was sent to her publisher in America just before she escaped Nazi-occupied France. This new, unabridged translation by Margot Bettauer Dembo makes the complete text available in English for the first time.