The blue light of the laptop screen was the only thing keeping Maxim awake. It was 2:00 AM, and the open textbook on his desk— Deutsch, 10. Klasse by Voronina—looked more like a collection of ancient, undecipherable runes than a language guide.

Maxim looked at the clock. The deadline for his essay on "Environmental Protection in Germany" was four hours away. He sighed and leaned in. "Fine. What's the first memory?" "The word for 'nostalgia,'" the program prompted.

He had the "A," but the German language now held more of his heart than his own history.