Facing the Lion tells the story of a young girl living in Alsace through the 12-year Nazi reign of terror. The situations and choices she faced reflect the universal human struggle to survive, not only physically but also morally and spiritually, in a world that continues to be marred by violence and injustice. Thus, through her narrative Simone Liebster, née Arnold, reaches out to us from the darkest years of the 20th century, knowing that people everywhere, young and old, face their own “lions”—ethical dilemmas and challenges—every day.

Painting a vivid portrait of her family life, serene at times and stormy at others, Simone gives us insight into her precociously determined personality, her developing sense of right and wrong, and her youthful notions of justice and loyalty. Conflicting influences shape her character. Germany and France were two dogs fighting over a bone, she was told: Alsace was the bone. Her grandpa hated the Germans for their harshness, while her grandma disliked the "lazy" and "unorganized" French and had nothing but praise for what Hitler was doing. Simone listened, and drew her own conclusions.

From her sixth year onward, Simone’s life was overshadowed by her growing fear of German conquest and Nazi tyranny. The family decide to become Jehovah's Witnesses, a christian religion that has been banned in Nazi Germany.