In 1987, Dietrich Mickler risks everything to lead his family across one of the most heavily fortified borders in the world. One mistake could mean torture or death.

Their only hope may lie with Günter and Helga Hartmann—new friends who claim to know what it takes to escape the German Democratic Republic. With so much at stake, Dietrich must decide how far he is willing to trust them.

Choices made one desperate night at the southern border of East Germany will reach across decades in ways no one could have imagined.

The border Dietrich's family once risked everything to cross may be far behind them and an ocean away in America, but what happened there is not. As his children and grandchildren struggle with difficult decisions—and with one another—old wounds reopen, buried regrets surface, and a family already under immense strain begins to fracture.

Borders & Barriers is a gripping story of courage and sacrifice, guilt and forgiveness, and two families that risk everything for freedom—only to discover barriers that freedom alone cannot erase.