Fires of the Ruhr

Germany, 1936.The furnaces of the Ruhr burn day and night, forging steel for a nation rising from humiliation, poverty and defeat. For young steelworker Matthias Keller, the recovery feels like a miracle. Jobs have returned, factories are expanding and, for the first time in his life, Germany stands proud.His sister Greta is swept up by the energy of a new generation, finding purpose, belonging and hope in the youth movements shaping the country's future. Though drawn by different forces, both siblings are carried by the same powerful current of national renewal.Only their father Heinrich, a scarred veteran of the First World War, sees the shadows gathering beneath the optimism.As Austria is annexed, the Sudetenland crisis unfolds and persecution spreads across Germany, Matthias struggles to reconcile the nation he loves with the reality unfolding around him. While old neighbours disappear and fear takes root, success after success makes doubt seem unnecessary and silence seem safer.Set against the dramatic backdrop of Nazi Germany's rise and the road to war, The Fires of the Ruhr is a gripping historical saga about family, loyalty, patriotism and the dangerous power of certainty.When war finally comes in 1939, the Kellers must confront a terrible question:How far can a nation travel towards greatness before it loses its soul?