The Attack and the Storm

In late April 1948, the ancient port of Jaffa, Palestine, was under attack and was about to fall to Jewish forces. Sharif, a veteran police officer and his family-his wife Mona, a paediatric nurse, and his ten-year-old son, Omar-were desperately trying to flee the city. A ship was waiting to take them to Egypt, but the sea was raging and in the grip of a wild storm. Sharif's aunt, Dunya, knew of another escape plan, but it was fraught with danger. It entailed joining a convoy and travelling through enemy territory. Should Sharif go along with the plan? Did he have a choice? He had little time to make up his mind.