The Remnants
LENA MARTENS and NIKOLAI SIEMENS meet at Tschongraw Bible School in the heart of Russia's Crimean Peninsula after experiencing epidemics, world war, and the Russian revolution.
They build a home in Borongar, Crimea and have two sons, KOLYA and ABI. Lena's sister Maria and brother Peter join them. But after Stalin institutes his Five-Year Plan of collectivizing all farms, over-taxing the farmers, prohibiting religion in their Mennonite villages, and liquidating the kulaks, in July 1929, Nikolai and family flee to Moscow for passports out of the country.
Now settled in a shack in the woods, they are joined by 17,000 other Germans also at risk of deportation or exile. When their youngest son becomes ill from an epidemic Nikolai returns to Borongar for food and supplies only to find out that in his absence Peter has committed suicide and now Maria wants to leave the Crimea. After they return to Moscow, the baby Abi succumbs to pneumonia and death.
Lena's delivery date and winter near as do the dangers of arrest. When no country will take them, Russia says they'll be sent east (Siberia) after the anniversary of the Revolution is over.
Nikolai is arrested on November 15 and imprisoned in Lubjanka where he is interrogated and tortured. Lena goes to the hospital for refuge and the doctor allows her to stay. When Maria and Kolya cease to visit her, she learns they, too, have been arrested leaving her alone and without money or clothing.
When at last Nikolai is about to be deported to Siberia, he asks about his wife. They call the hospital where the doctor lies and says she's in labor. Nikolai is freed, but they threaten they'll come for his entire family.
Maria and Kolya have been deported back to Borongar and Kolya is near death. Lena gives birth to a son and shortly thereafter Germany puts enough pressure on Russia to allow the release of the remaining 5,761 German refugees who have not been deported or exiled. The German Consulate warns Nikolai that if he returns to Borongar for his son, Kolya will be fatherless anyway. They leave without their firstborn child.
After two years in refugee camps, the Siemens are the only four admitted into the USA. When at last Kolya and Maria are allowed out of Russia, they find out Maria cannot join them in the USA and so puts five-year-old Kolya on a boat bound for America alone. Kolya arrives to McCook, Nebraska but he doesn't recognize Lena. As they drive away from the train station, at last he says, "I know who you are now. You are my mother."
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