Mid 19th century. In the depths of the Simonswald in the southern Black Forest, the daughter of a small farmer, Johanna, falls in love with the lad Alois, and they become engaged. But when she is expecting a child, he abandons her. An illegitimate child stigmatises the young woman. From now on her life is joyless, she is ostracised, ridiculed and discriminated against as an unwed mother. The injustice is outrageous. And now she also becomes fair game, is humiliated by her brothers, raped, impregnated. Her unwanted child is followed by others. She does not even have the right to name the children. The entry in the church register reads: "Father not known". And her children, five in number, also bear a heavy burden. They are taken away from their mother at an early age and soon have to work for farmers to earn a living. Monika Veit movingly describes the true story of Johanna D. Her retrospective view of a time of child poverty, infamy and countless cruel fates makes one shudder. The author has succeeded in creating a moving historical masterpiece.
