Rostock, Germany, 1996. Katharina Stern, a busy school principal at a rural school in the former German Democratic Republic, finds herself reevaluating the past and life itself when her son suffers a mysterious collapse. As her family slowly comes to terms with Felix's brain tumor, Katharina recalls the days of living in 'the Golden Cage' of the GDR, the events that triggered her dawning realization that not all was as idyllic as it seemed to be, and the sudden, harsh changes that took place when the Berlin Wall fell.

This is a deeply personal and philosophical look at the history of East Germany, and the meaning of personal freedom and our own ideals.

An exciting and touching novel about life’s irritations here and now, which stimulates the reader’s inner reflection

Brigitte Zeplien
- Born 01/15/1950 in Lützen, near Leipzig (Germany, former GDR)
- Married for 45 years, two sons, two grandchildren
- Retired school principal

She spent her youth and childhood in the metropolis of Leipzig. After completing her degree in German and English Education in Berlin, love and marriage to a farmer brought her to Northern Germany, where she taught English and German at a rural school near Rostock. She then led the school as principal for 23 years following Germany’s reunification in 1989 (the fall of the Berlin Wall). The experiences she had teaching in and visiting schools in London, Milwaukee, Sacramento, and Baton Rouge allowed her to bring new concepts in instructing classes to her own school.
At the end of his last year in school, one of her sons was diagnosed with a brain tumor.