<P> When Germany invades France in 1940 , Marie - Laure and her father flee from Paris to the coastal town of Saint - Malo 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 . </P>
<P> When Germany invades France in 1940 , Marie - Laure and her father flee from Paris to the coastal town of Saint - Malo 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 . </P>
all the light we can not see french town
all the light we can not see french town
Saint - Malo
Saint - Malo