Undressing Shadows is set in postwar Germany. It the story of two women which spans over fifty years when generations later the daughter goes on a quest to uncover secrets of the past. This novel by Ursula Tillmann, who grew up in Germany, is based on a true story. When the war ended in 1945 some 14 million Germans were displaced in the east (Pomerania, East Prussia). They were chased like cattle toward the west by the Red Army. Two million people died during those treks. When those 'Reichsdeutsche' arrived in the west, they were despised. Unwanted they tried to rebuild a life.