The popular beach town of Eilat, at the southernmost tip of Israel, is visited daily by international tourists seeking to enjoy the warm waters of the Red Sea. But when hundreds of tall, dark Africans show up to stay, curiosities are piqued. Where did they come from? Why are they in Eilat of all places? When a group of them enter the Shelter Hostel run by John and Judy Pex, the people and their stories gradually become known.
These are the very real stories of how and why five refugee escaped from genocide in south Sudan and Darfur, made their way through Egypt and smuggled into Israel, the only country their Islamic government prohibited them from entering. In desperation they fled across the border anyway, with nothing but the clothes on their backs. No food. No money. No papers. No possessions. Just thankful to be alive.