Plot

Anton explores how the universal bonds of childhood friendship are stronger than the prejudices of an adult world torn by hatred and revenge in the wake of the First World War and Russian Revolution. The year is 1919. The story unfolds in a small village in Ukraine, a region settled by German families many decades earlier to farm the rich land near the Black Sea. It brings into clear focus the true meaning of friendship. Together, Anton and Jakob find strength and comfort. It is a friendship shaped by their fascination with gazing at clouds and the significance of heaven as they imagine it. Although Anton is a Catholic and Jakob is a Jew, their friendship is more powerful than their different religious backgrounds. Their belief in each other as young boys and the imaginary world they create shields them from the fear, violence and divisions that surround them. Separated when Anton's family ultimately escapes from Ukraine to seek a new life, the memory of their friendship endures through the decades, shaping their lives until they finally reunite as Anton nears death.—Dale Eisler