Zlata Fikipovic is a happy and smart ten year old just turning eleven. She loves school, her friends, pop music and fashion and enjoys vacations in nearby ski-resorts and summers at their summer home in the country. War is beginning to take a toll on the historic city of Dubrovnik but its is still something that is abstract and happening elsewhere. When war does come to the Filipovic's home town of Sarajevo the family at first do not believe it will last long and so do not make plans to flee; later when they desperately need to escape, escape for them is impossible. The changes war brings are insidious at first; the family are unable to go away for the summer, friends begin to leave. Then snipers take up positions in the hills behind Zlata's house, and because the rooms at the back of the house are far too dangerous to live in, Zlata and her parents move into the living room, along with the family's beloved canary.
When there is shelling, they race for their lives down to the cellar which is dark and damp; Zlata's mother is terrified that there will be mice in the cellar. Their neighbor's home fares worse than theirs but their cellar is more secure so the Filipovices seek comfort there in times of shelling. Zlata discovers that school, which she loves, is cancelled until further notice since the Serbs choose schools as their target much of the time. She is very upset by this as her studies are extremely important to her but Zlata continues to study on her own, sometimes by candel-light as the power is cut off. After learning that Anne Frank gave her diary a name Zlata decides to do the same and selects Mimmy, after her deceased goldfish.
Conditions become worse. Zlata does not leave the house for a couple of moths because it is too dangerous. Even crossing the bridge into town is too dangerous so Zlata is unable to visit her beloved grandparents for several months. The post office is burned to the ground. The library is destroyed. The entire city that had previously been so beautiful is completely changed. Zlata is particularly distressed to see the trees in the park where she and her friends played growing up dying; her friend Nina is killed walking in the park and every day she sees so much killing andcarnagethat she fears she is becoming used to it. One bright spot for a while is the arrival of a cat whom Zlata comes to love very much; a year later, when their cat is pregnant she passes away as she is unable to give birth. Zlata is devastated. The death of the family canary hits them all hard. Their pets are members of the family.
Life gets harder and there is no end in sight to the war. Peace talks are promised but they fail and like everyone Zlata is frustrated by the politicians who are all determined to stay at war. She realizes they do not represent the people. They only represent themselves. Power is sporadic. When they have power they can hear the house and hear French radio stations. When power is out they do not know when it might come back, and they have to hear the house with the stove, using their furniture as firewood. The water supply runs out and for a year does not come back. There is no way to shower or flush the toilet; to shower, the family place plastic on the ground and use a jug to make their own shower. Water has to be brought from the other side of town which at first Zlata's father transports; when he suffers a hernia the task is left to Zlata and her mother. Zlata marvels at some of the contraptions people come up with to transport water more easily.
Zlata signs up for a school that will take place at the town hall across the street from her house but it is not what she hoped as all the kids are lumped in together regardless of age. Nonetheless she works hard and earns straight As. One of her teaches asks her if she keeps a diary and when she replies that she does, her teacher takes a photocopy of the diary and sends it to a small publisher in Slovenia. The book is published and comes to the notice of worldwide media. Zlata is interviewed by Wuropen and American journalists and her book soon gets published around the world. However Zlata is still unable to leave Sarajevo. She finds it hard to comprehend that whilst the rest of the world are watching a documentary of her life in a warzone she is sitting in one room with her family in the dark with no electricity. She wonders if the people watching know that she and her family are still there. Convoy after convoy leaves for safety but the Filipovices are still waiting. Politicians talk but do nothing. The war continues. Zlata still waits for peace.
