"In April 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tätowierer (the German word for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners. Imprisoned for more than two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism--but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion....

"In March 1942, at the age of 25, kindergarten teacher Magda Hellinger was deported from her hometown in Slovakia along with 998 other young women ... The SS soon discovered that by putting prisoners in day-to-day charge of the accommodation blocks and even the camps at large, ... they could both reduce the number of guards required to use these 'leaders' to deflect attention away from themselves. Magda was one such Jewish prisoner selected for leadership....