After the raid on the Jewish neighbourhoods of Brussels on the night of 3 September 1942, Moïse Francès realises that he must find a hiding place for himself, his wife, son and daughter.

The Margulies-Mahler family obtained the naturalization in 1926 which granted them Belgian citizenship. Anne, Jacques, Helena-Ella, Liliane and Armand were deported with transport XXIIB to Auschwitz-Birkenau. They were murdered. Georges Mahler went into hiding in Aarschot with his wife Selma Lichtmann and children Charles and Nanette. They were never arrested and survived World War II.

Thanks to the kind women Balthus and Allard, the children are able to go into hiding in the Fraiture castle and survive the war.

On 24 February 1939, the refugee story of the Berenblum family begins, with parents Abraham Berenblum and Maria Freimowski and daughters Sonja and Rosa.