In 1935, ten-year-old Alex Maki of Bainbridge Island, Washington, is horrified to discover that his new pen pal, Charlie Lévy of Paris, France, is a girl. In spite of his initial reluctance, their letters continue over the years. They fight for their friendship even as Charlie endures the Nazi occupation and Alex leaves his family in an internment camp and joins the Army. -- adapted from run-on sentence provided