No Place on Earth

In 1993, a New York cop named Chris Nicola flew to Ukraine to go spelunking and explore his family roots. In one of the caves, he found the story of a very different family when he came across old shoes, buttons and a stove. The objects were apparently left behind by Jewish families who were in hiding there during the Second World War. After extensive inquiries, Nicola finally finds the Stermer family. In , the surviving members of the family tell about the 511 days they spent living underground in two separate caves, and their stories are illustrated with reconstructed scenes. Although the Stermers emigrated to the United States and Canada and hardly ever spoke about the caves again - in the words of one, "It was just too incredible" - their memories are crystal clear. They remember that the children thought it was like a castle at first, but it was also a place where you could get lost easily. They tell us how they collected falling drops of water in buckets to drink, ground flour and kept themselves busy. But most of all, they recall how their family braved cold, hunger and fear to protect each other from certain death.