![Picture](/uploads/6/6/8/0/66802683/209806524.jpg?198)
Lina's Home- The book begins in a small Lithuanian town during the early years of Stalin and the Soviets' rising in World War II. Lithuania is a European country that is pretty far north, so it isn't exactly warm there. The winters can get pretty cold, while the summers are generally mild.At this point in the book, Lina is living with her family in a town called Kaunas, where everyone is friendly with each other. She has other relatives living near the area and loves to write letters to them. Being one of the Baltic countries, Stalin had control of Lithuania, and could do whatever he wanted to with them. Lina was living a happy life with her family while she was in Kaunas, Lithuania.
![Picture](/uploads/6/6/8/0/66802683/806489089.jpg?225)
The Cattle Cars- When Lina is ripped out of her comforting, Lithuanian home by the Soviets, she is thrown onto small cattle cars with her younger brother, Jonas, and her mother, for weeks on end. These cattle cars were not that big, but the Soviets crammed hundreds of people in each car. During their time on the cars, Lina and her family traveled from Lithuania all the way to Siberia. Throughout the time, they face harsh treatment and the Soviets' grip tightens on them. Lina and her family meet some of the people who they stay with throughout most of the journey. Due to limited space and oxygen, many people become ill with various diseases.
![Picture](/uploads/6/6/8/0/66802683/770443234.jpg?192)
Altai Labor Camp- Once the cattle cars finally reached an ultimate destination, Lima and her family began to realize it wasn't much better than the dreaded cars. They had arrived at an Altai labor camp under harsh control of the NKVD. From there, they moved to Biysk, Siberia, and to the Makarov Camp. At this camp, they were forced to do strenuous work, given miniature rations of food, and provided with nothing but stacks of hay to sleep on. A shower was a special treat, and lice and disease spread all around. They slept in small huts packed with people while the NKVD lived a pleasant life in their barracks. During this time, most did not have any way to contact families and find out what was going on with the war. The prisoners suffered new extremities of cruelties for nearly a year in labor camps.
![Picture](/uploads/6/6/8/0/66802683/799426600.jpg?288)
Into the Arctic Circle; Trofimovsk Camp- Lina and her family were finally put on a list to leave the labor camps, but weren't sent to a much better place. They were thrown on trains and sent farther up north, crossing the Arctic circle. They had been taken up through Siberia to Trofimovsk in the North Pole. Winter was approaching and they knew frigid temperatures were soon to come. This time, they weren't even given a place to stay; they had to find materials to build their own huts, and find their own source of heat. By this point, many people couldn't take the fight against weather and disease, and their health gave out. People were forced to through dead bodies out of the huts into a big pile, and there were specific huts filled with people who all shared the same disease, so they wouldn't spread it to others. The Arctic Circle was an extremely harsh living area.