Woven into two parallel stories, Putin's retaliation against a Chechen war journalist extends to a homeowners association in San Diego. Patchy lawns and dogs off leashes diminish in importance when Quietwater discovers espionage and a murder in its midst. An HOA fine cannot stop an assassination. Perhaps, love and the good detective work on the part of Thelma Lee of the San Diego Police Department can.
Die Birken tells the story of an apartment building of that name (The Birches) and the East Berliners living there between the 1930s and 1960s, some of whom survived World War II only to fall subject to the Russians and another ideology-communism. Their new challenge is to maintain their well-being, their personal integrity, their sense of humor, and their humanity, all while avoiding the pitfalls of a divided city and Stasi surveillance. In the aftermath of war, new relationships are created, families are reconfigured, and what were formerly ordinary trees, like birches, become cherished.