The Poor, The Rich, and The Idealist - Paperback

by Erind Ndoj (Author)

Albania, 1943.

When war reaches his cornfield, Bajram, a quiet farmer, makes a choice that will define the rest of his life.
He shelters Marco, a dying Italian deserter from the occupying army. Soon after, he opens his door again - this time to Joseph, a Jewish refugee fleeing Nazi persecution. Bajram and his wife Fatime - a Muslim couple with little more than a small farm and their faith - ask no questions.
All they can offer is bread, salt, and a white heart.
But when a wounded partisan named Agim arrives, the fragile sanctuary inside their home begins to fracture. A communist idealist, Agim clashes with Joseph's past and Marco's uniform. Trapped together in a basement under the constant threat of German patrols, the three men are forced to confront not only war - but themselves.

The war ends. The danger does not.

Communism rises. Agim returns not as a fugitive, but as a man of power. Branded a traitor, Bajram is imprisoned for twenty-four years. His wife dies waiting. The world he protected disappears.
Now, in the final days of his life, Bajram waits once more - not to give shelter, but in the quiet hope that someone might return it.

Inspired by true events.