The Exchange

Three lives. One catastrophe. The long road after. On an October morning, nuclear weapons fall on Europe. Cities burn. Tens of millions die. The world that existed before breakfast is gone by lunch. Lena, a German veterinarian, is visiting her grandmother in Bavaria when the flash comes. The roads south fill with refugees. She becomes one of them. Erik, a Swedish history teacher, watches the news with his family. Sweden wasn't hit — but the aftermath is coming, and it will change everything he thought he knew about his country, his neighbors, and his own children. Dmitri, a Russian security officer, receives the alert on his secure terminal. He goes home to his wife and son and says nothing. In the months that follow, he will learn exactly what he's willing to do to protect them. Three perspectives. Three countries. The novel follows them through the immediate catastrophe, the grinding years of aftermath, and whatever comes next. The Exchange is about what we owe strangers, what we owe our children, and what happens to ordinary people when the world breaks.