In a Cambodian proverb, "when broken glass floats" is the time when evil triumphs over good. That time began for the Him family in 1975, when the Khmer Rouge took power in Cambodia and they began their trek through the hell of the "killing fields". In a heart-wrenching memoir, Chanrithy Him vividly tells of her childhood, growing up in a Cambodia where rudimentary labour camps are the norm and technology, such as cars and electricity, no longer exitst. As she struggles to understand the suffering and violence around her, she shows proof of unbounded courage and great hope. Death becomes a companion at the camps, along with illness. Yet through the terror, Him's family remains loyal to one another despite the Khmer Rouge's demand of loyalty only to itself. Moments of inexpressible sacrifice and love lead them to bring what little food they have to the others, even at the risk of their own lives. In 1979, "broken glass" finally sinks. From a family of 12, only five of the Him children survive. They are desperate to escape the Khmer Rouge but sad to leave what they see as the empty shell of Cambodia. From refugee camps in Thailand and the Philippines, sponsored by an uncle in Oregon, they begin new lives in America.