 As WWII was beginning , Sophie 's Jewish parents sent her away from Austria . She was on board of the MS St. Louis when it was turned away from Cuba and sent to the United Kingdom . She was living in a refugee camp in Canada when she met Anton . She was diagnosed with lupus and takes up gardening , planning elaborate landscapes every year . In 1995 , after refusing further medical treatments , and with Anton by her side , she succumbs to the disease . 
