all the light we cannot see french town
All the Light We Cannot See When Germany invades France in 1940, Marie-Laure and her father flee from Paris to the coastal town of Saint-Malo[1] to take refuge with her great-uncle Etienne, a recluse suffering shell-shock from the Great War. Etienne spends all his days indoors, but reveals to Marie-Laure that along with his deceased brother Henri, the two used to broadcast lessons to children from a large radio inside the chimney, with these lessons being the ones Werner and Jutta listened to. Unbeknownst to Marie-Laure, her father has been entrusted with the Sea of Flames or one of three exact copies. The four jewels look very much alike, although three are worthless fakes. As a diversion, each of the four is given to a different protector, none of whom knows whether his blue stone is the real priceless gem or the look-alike fake. Each protector is charged to keep his jewel out of the Germans’ hands. Marie-Laure's father conceals his stone in a small wooden replica of Etienne’s house, a removable puzzle box which fits within the city model he makes of Saint-Malo. This model is placed at the foot of Marie-Laure's bed, where she spends hours learning the new town with her fingers before finally venturing out.