Keneally tells the tale of the unlikely encounter that propelled him to write about Oskar Schindler, and of the impact of his extraordinary account on people around the world. Australian writer Keneally met Leopold "Poldek" Pfefferberg, the owner of a Beverly Hills luggage shop, in 1981. Poldek, a Polish Jew and a Holocaust survivor, had a tale he wanted the world to know. He convinced Keneally to relate the incredible story of "the all-drinking, all-screwing, all-black-marketeering Nazi, Oskar Schindler. But to me he was Jesus Christ." This is the chronicle of Keneally's pursuit of a fascinating and paradoxical hero: traveling throughout the United States, Germany, Israel, Poland, and Austria, Keneally and Poldek interviewed people who had known Schindler and uncovered their indelible memories. This is also the story of Keneally's growth as a writer, the making of the film, and the enormous success of his portrait of Oskar Schindler.--From publisher description.