Slowly, slowly, the commentary in her diary slides from chat about her life at school and weekend 'sleepovers' with her friends, to the political stirrings in the country round about her. Over the next few months Zlata has to face up to a lot. The shelling of Sarajevo starts, and many of Zlata's friends and relations pack up and leave to begin their lives as refugees. But Zlata stays behind. She spends a lot of time with her family in the cellar sheltering from the interminable bombardments.
Food is scarce and becomes a topic of constant interest and concern.
As winter approaches heating and cooking becomes a priority. There is no electricity and no water. Daddy's got frostbite on his fingers from cutting the wood in the cold cellar. They look awful. His fingers are swollen and now they're putting some cream on them, but they itch badly.