The book begins with the early life of Veron Dumehjian ( 1907-1981 ) in her native city of Azizya ( today Emirdağ ) in the province of Eskişehir . She was born into a wealthy Armenian family and had a comfortable and secure life . When the Armenian Genocide began in 1915 , eight-year-old Veron along with her family were forcefully removed from their homes and deported . During the deportations , Veron 's entire immediate family , including her father , mother , brothers , and sisters died either from diseases contracted along the way or due to exhaustion . Now an orphan at the age of eleven , Veron managed to survive in the Syrian desert with the help of distant relatives . When her relatives had difficulty taking care of her , she was placed in an orphanage and remained there until she was twelve years old . She then returned to her native town of Azizya and lived with her grandmother . The Greco-Turkish War reached her village and Veron was gravely wounded . After recovering , she moved to the seaside town of Smyrna to live with her aunt . She was forced to flee once more due to the Great Fire of Smyrna , when Greek and Armenian refugees were crammed into the waterfront of the city and forced into the sea . Veron and her aunt were rescued by a boat and taken to Greece . There , Veron married an Armenian-American , Melkon Kherdian . She ultimately moved to the United States and settled in Wisconsin
Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
The Road from Home