Irena Sendler is born in Warsaw, Poland.
The invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany marks the beginning of World War II and the start of hardships for Polish Jews and resistance members like Irena.
The Warsaw Ghetto is established by Nazi Germany to confine the Jewish population of Warsaw, later becoming the site of deportations to concentration camps.
Irena Sendler, working with the Polish Underground, begins smuggling Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto, saving them from the Holocaust.
Irena is arrested, tortured, and sentenced to death for her activities helping Jewish children escape the ghetto, but she manages to avoid execution.
Jewish inhabitants of the Warsaw Ghetto rise against Nazi forces in a significant act of resistance, though eventually suppressed.
Decades after the war, Irena is recognized internationally for her role in saving Jewish children during the Holocaust.
Irena starts her work as a social worker in Warsaw, focusing on helping disadvantaged children.
Nazi forces occupy Warsaw, drastically changing life and imposing harsh conditions on the Jewish population.
Irena begins secretly entering the Warsaw Ghetto to help rescue Jewish children from deportation and death.
Irena sets up a network to smuggle Jewish children out of the ghetto using various means, including ambulances and sewers.
Irena is apprehended by Nazi authorities and subjected to brutal interrogation and torture but refuses to betray her collaborators.
Despite being condemned to death, Irena escapes execution thanks to bribed guards from the Polish resistance.
The Polish resistance launches the Warsaw Uprising against the Nazis. Irena continues her efforts amid the chaos.
Irena secretly keeps records of the rescued children’s real names to reunite them with their families after the war.
After the war, Irena’s heroic efforts are acknowledged as she helps reunite surviving children with relatives or adoptive families.
