Before 1940, young Latvian Nathan Shapow had nothing more on his mind than enjoying his teenage years and becoming a champion boxer. But the Nazis' systematic extermination of the Jews quickly put an end to his dreams, and soon he was to face a different sort of fight, where the prize for victory would be his life. Shapow recounts how he relied on his competitive skills to survive the Riga ghetto, the camps, and the war, at times forced to fight to entertain his captors.