The Man Who Calculated Death

Suzanne and Stephanie investigate their family's experience in the long-ago fire bombing of Kassel, Germany that killed 10,000 civilians in a single night. As they learn more about their grandfather's career, they uncover an intriguing--and frightening--turn, when he came up against one of Adolf Hitler’s infamous “blood judges.” Then, they learn that Robert Lusser moved his family to Kassel--a favorite Allied bombing target—in the first place because of an offer to lead of one of the Nazis most important--and top secret--weapons projects.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Suzanne and Stephanie Rico embark on a haunting journey to uncover the hidden history of their family and a grandfather they never knew. They explore a dark legacy tied to a Nazi weapons program during World War II. As they sift through their deceased mother’s office, unsettling family secrets emerge, revealing the moral complexities of their ancestry. Their travels through Germany take them from military ruins to a concentration camp, intertwining personal stories with broader historical narratives.

Suzanne and Stephanie begin at their mother’s childhood home in Augsburg, where they’re faced with a difficult question: as granddaughters of a man who created a weapon of mass destruction for the Nazis, what responsibility do they bear? From tattered letters, photographs, and home movies from their mother’s early days, the sisters piece together their grandfather’s life, and their grandparents’ love story. Then, they discover a well kept family secret with dangerous undertones.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In 2013, journalist Suzanne Rico gets the call. Her mother, Gabriele, is dying. As time ticks down, Gabriele reveals an unfinished memoir about her World War II childhood–and makes a daunting last request: “Finish what I started.” When Suzanne and her sister, Stephanie, dive into their mother’s turbulent past, they come face to face with the truth of their own ancestry for the first time, including mind blowing mysteries that swirl around inventor Robert Lusser–their grandfather–and his work for the Third Reich. As they struggle to bring closure to something as intimate as a memoir, they have no idea of the revelations in store, or the reckoning they will require.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.