Girl at War begins in Zagreb, Croatia in 1991. There, a young girl named Ana Juric lives with her family in an apartment. Zagreb is the capital of the country, so it was inevitable that when a problem struck, people living there would be among the first affected.
This is exactly what happens. Ana Juric is only ten years old when the Civil War strikes, and it affects countries all throughout Yugoslavia. Originally, Ana lived a practically carefree life, but this war forces her to adapt to the situation at hand, and she can no longer continue in an angelic state of existence.
The state of daily life is drastically altered for the citizens of Croatia, including Ana's family. Now, they must live on food rations, cooperate with the unscheduled air raid drills, and hear snipers firing in the middle of the night. For any ten year old or adult alike, this life would be very difficult to bear - who knows if the air raid is real this time?
As people that were once friends, including Ana and her neighbors, begin to accuse each other seriously, the amount of safety declines at an exponential rate. As the war comes closer to the city, Ana is left alone in the midst of chaos.
The book leaves the reader hanging when the war is at a climax, but soon enough it is evident that Ana is safe. The second part of the book picks up in New York City, where Ana now lives. She is attending college in the United States, and trying to build a successful life that never would have been available for her in Croatia.
Ana's grades start slipping, even though she knows that she can do better. Despite help from friends and teachers, she is depressed. Ana finds it nearly impossible to put her scarring past behind her, and cannot forget her innocence being ripped away at such a young age.
