In the winter of 1991, at a concert in Krakow, an older woman with a special violin meets a fellow musician who is instantly captivated by it. When he asks her how she obtained it, she reveals its remarkable story: imprisoned at Auschwitz, the notorious concentration camp, Daniel feels his humanity slipping away. Treasured memories become hazier with each passing day. Then Daniel's former identity as a crafter of fine violins is revealed. The camp's two most dangerous men use this information to make a cruel wager: If Daniel can build a successful violin within a certain number of days, the Kommandant wins a case of the finest burgundy. If not, the camp doctor, a torturer, gets hold of Daniel.--From publisher description.