Erich 'Richerl' Hofleitner (1939-2012) was a farmer most of his adult life. During World War II he lived in Austria with relatives. He would often share his experiences during this time with his three children and grandchildren. In 2006, upon the request of his children, he began recording these and many other stories in his memoirs, finishing the 624 page manuscript in 2012, only weeks before he passed away. Erich always dreamt of working in film and theatre, so it was no surprise that his memoirs were written as a playwright. His last wish was that his stories would live on. In 2013 his grandson Andreas began translating his grandfather's memoirs into English and subsequently chose a few stories to work into a two-part novel.