The family is given the order: leave Albania by five in the morning. The war in Kosovo is on their doorstep. Arta Rexhepi dons her favourite shoes that smell of mint and her vegetable garden. After days of walking and the horrors of a refugee camp, the family can come to Canada, but they must give up their clothes. She mourns her shoes as they disappear into a bin, but she is happy to be safe at last.