Set in the turbulent Kingdom of Yugoslavia during World War II and amidst the chaos of a brutal civil war, No Bread Tomorrow transports readers on a gripping journey through the lives of the Nikolic sisters. These three courageous women bravely carry a perilous secret, which, if exposed, would lead to their certain death at the hands of the Nazis.
A resilient healer and mother of seven, Zora Brkovic faces the challenges of caring for her seven children, including two sons of fighting age and navigating a strained marriage. When her husband, Peda, refuses her sister's offer to send their sons to America for safekeeping, Zora's perception of him shatters, revealing a man she hardly recognizes. Isolated and desperate, Zora struggles to protect her children from the horrors of war as her eldest son enlists in the Royal Yugoslav Army. Less than three months later, Hitler and his Axis Power viciously pounce on Yugoslavia, attacking them from all four corners. Eleven days later surrender is imminent. In an act of incredible bravery, Zora's oldest sister, Dusica decides to honor a pact she made with her childhood friend, long ago. This particular act turns their entire family's lives into a perilous dance with the devil. Meanwhile, Zora's youngest sister, Sava, a historian, and university professor in Belgrade, lives a far different life. Bored with her pampered existence, Sava's life dramatically changes after she is asked to join the prestigious, male-only Cultural Club. What they ask her to do compels her to risk her very life for the sake of her beloved country. Zora's fears turn to relief when she learns the truth about Goran, but then her husband shocks her by joining the Resistance, where his expertise guides his unit in successfully blowing up some of the Third Reich's trains and trucks. Inflamed, Hitler arms more defense in Serbia, and tensions mount as the Third Reich tightens its grip over the Serbian people, systematically closing schools, businesses, restaurants, and shops. But when a second resistance group, the Communist Partisans emerges, confusion entails, prompting Hitler to order more ruthless retaliatory measures, including burning villages and killings of innocent civilians. Hostilities become palpable as the opposing resistance forces come together for an unforeseen event.
.
No Bread Tomorrow is a poignant, lesser-known account illuminating the sister's unwavering fortitude and resilience as they fiercely safeguard their loved ones.<