The German army is in full retreat, with the Russians closing in on Berlin. In Milwaukee author John C. David’s page-turning novel The Painter’s Stone, German soldier Paul Behring is horrified by what he has seen at Auschwitz and decides he can no longer pretend that Hitler is anything more than a killing machine. While deciding to take off the uniform he once wore with pride, he finds a small Jewish girl, Lena. Paul has to decide whether he will leave her to her fate or take her with him. Paul understands that they must leave Germany and quickly find safe passage to a new world, America. The Painter’s Stone is an intricate yarn with multifaceted characters that exude pathos, hope and redemption.