All the Broken Places

After the Resistance members mutilated the scalps of Gretel and her mother, the women covered their heads with scarves and moved to Rouen, a city in northwest France, where Gretel learned English. In 1952, three weeks after her mother died from an alcohol addiction and grief, Gretel, now 21, boards a ship to Australia.

Gretel meets Cait, a 22-year-old Irish woman whose father kicked her in the stomach after he learned she was pregnant—the kick killed the baby. Her father owned a bar, and she plans to be a bartender in Australia. She’s tall, voluptuous, and independent. Cait and Gretel agree to find a home together, and Cait senses that Gretel has secrets.

In 2022, Caden brings Gretel a brochure for a retirement village, Autumn Valley. Gretel quips that they should change the name to Winter Valley. She still doesn’t want to move—she restates her belief that those places speed up a person’s death.

To help her son with his money woes, she writes him a check for around $175,000, and he promises to pay her back. Gretel doesn’t care if he does—he’ll receive his inheritance soon enough.

The mother and son discuss his upcoming wedding. Gretel plans to attend—she skipped a previous wedding. They also talk about her new neighbors. Alex reminds Gretel of the stories about movie producers terrorizing actresses. Gretel says she likes Henry, and Caden mentions how Gretel isn’t typically fond of young boys. Aside from the young-boy comment, Gretel describes her interaction with her son as one of the “friendliest” in years.

In 1953, Cait and Gretel find a place on Kent Street in Sydney, and Gretel works at a clothing store for women. Her boss is the racist Miss Brilliant, who inherited the shop from her mother. Cait works at a bar, Fortune of War, and sometimes, when Gretel feels lonely, she drinks at the bar after work. Once, an older man tries to force himself on her, but she pushes him away.

At the bar again, Gretel focuses on a man accompanied by a young boy—presumably, his son. She hears the man’s Germanic voice, and he uses the phrase “little man.” Though she can’t be 100% sure, she believes it’s “him.” Cait senses something isn’t right with Gretel. Cait attributes her behavior to her period, and Gretel goes along with the diagnosis.

Madelyn knocks on Gretel’s door: She “forgot” about Henry. In other words, it’s almost three o’clock, and she can’t pick him up from school: She’s not feeling well. Gretel thinks she’s drunk and asks if Madelyn’s husband can pick him up. Madelyn quips that Alex is probably in a hotel room, “auditioning actresses.” Gretel wonders if Madelyn has a friend who can pick up Henry. Alex doesn’t let Madelyn have friends. Reluctantly, Gretel agrees to pick up Henry. She promises not to tell Alex. Madelyn says Alex would kill her if he found out.

Cait remains worried about Gretel. She wonders if her behavior relates to a man. Cait thinks men are pathetic. After a few beers, they can’t stop talking about what their fathers did in World War I and what they did in World War II. They also make a mess in the bathroom.

Gretel asks about the man she saw at the bar. Cait says he’s a regular. He told her he was from Prague, and she heard he was a banker. His last name is Kozel, and he has an Australian wife. Cait wonders if Gretel is having an affair with him. Gretel says she’s not. Cait advises Gretel to stay away from him: He acts polite, but there’s something scary about him.

As it’s 2022, an unknown person can’t pick up a child from school. Gretel isn’t on the list of approved people, so she must wait in the reception area. She inspects the photos of students from the early 1930s, and the sound of trains and children crying for their parents replaces the school’s quietness. She remembers catching a boy stealing clothes in the “other place.” The boy begged Gretel not to expose him. Referring to Kurt and her father, he said that they’d “kill [him].”

Before Gretel recalls the boy’s name, Henry’s teacher, Jack Penston, arrives, and he offers Gretel a handkerchief—she’s crying. Gretel composes herself and tells Penston that Henry’s mother has “women’s problems” and that she’s their neighbor. Henry appears and says hi to Gretel, but Penston still must call Henry’s mother. He can’t reach Madelyn, but he calls Alex, who lets Gretel take Henry. As they leave the school, Gretel remembers the name of the boy from the “other place”: Shmuel.

To track Kozel, Gretel waits outside Fortune of War. When she spots Kozel, she becomes sick. After he enters the bar, she follows, and she’s sure it’s “him.” He looks up from his newspaper, and they make eye contact. He smiles, then returns to reading. He then picks up a pen and writes on it. Nervous, she spills her beer.

Kozel leaves, but he doesn’t take the newspaper. Gretel goes over and looks at it. Kozel is Kurt Kotler—a leader in the SS and Gretel’s first love—and he drew a fence on the newspaper.

Gretel brings Henry to her flat and slides a note under Madelyn’s door explaining what happened and why the teacher called Alex. The food at school is unpalatable, so Henry is hungry, and Gretel serves him poached eggs, beans, and toast. Henry thinks it’s delicious. Gretel tells Henry that when she was kid, she had to bring her lunch to school, and Maria, the maid, gave her halve hahn—rolls with cheese, onions, and pickles. That doesn’t sound good to Henry, but he wonders what happened to Maria. Gretel doesn’t know—if she’s still alive, she must be around 100.

Like Gretel’s brother, Henry uses adult expressions. He says his parents move a lot. They lived in America and France. Gretel says she lived in France, but she’s from Germany. Henry asks if she has family in Germany she wants to visit. Gretel says no. Henry asks about the lack of photos. Gretel says she doesn’t like to live in the past.

The doorbell rings—Alex is outside on his phone. When Gretel opens the door, Alex says Gretel “kidnapped” his son.

The next morning in Sydney, Gretel wakes up, and Shelley—Cait’s friend—is at her house. Shelley tells Gretel that she and Cait—whom Shelley calls Katie—went dancing at Miss Mabel’s Rooms. Gretel’s never heard of it, and Cait tells her it’s not a place for girls like Gretel. After Shelley leaves, Cait apologizes for her presence. She thought Gretel would be at work. Gretel now knows Cait’s secret. Compared to her other issues, Cait’s sexuality doesn’t seem like a big deal.

A bartender told Cait about Gretel’s behavior the day before, and Cait presses Gretel to tell her more about the man. Gretel says she can’t—she can only confirm that it doesn’t involve sex. She once loved him, but not anymore.

On a cloudy Sunday afternoon in London, Gretel meets Caden’s soon-to-be fourth wife, Eleanor, who is pretty and voluptuous. She stays healthy and closely monitors her steps: Her goal is 20,000 per day. Caden will be Eleanor’s second husband—her first husband died of cancer. She doesn’t have kids, and Gretel quips that Eleanor has “struck gold” with Caden. The main result will be that Eleanor gets a portion of Caden’s money after the marriage ends in about three years.