Stones in Water opens in Venice during the early 1940s, amidst the turmoil of war. Young boys mimic the drills of Italian soldiers, chant war slogans, and yearn to be old enough to wield a gun—if only on Sundays like their fathers and older brothers in the nearby square. Jews are now facing new restrictions. For centuries, they have resided in their serene, picturesque ghetto, as in many European cities. However, Venetian Jews are now experiencing new challenges, such as being required to wear a yellow star on their arms since the Germans and Italians have become allies. Roberto's parents have instructed him not to enter a Jewish home or even be seen conversing with a Jew like his friend Samuele, a classmate. Despite this, Roberto disregards their warnings. Samuele is his friend, and their friendship is about to undergo a severe test.

A visit to the cinema thrusts the two boys into a nightmare, as the movie outing is a ruse to enlist all the young boys attending as forced laborers. They are not permitted to return home for additional clothing or to say goodbye to their families. The boys' initial confusion swiftly turns to terror when the Nazis mercilessly execute three boys at a train station to set an example. The captors exacerbate their fear by splitting them into various groups from different towns. Thanks to their friend Memo's quick thinking, Roberto and Samuele manage to stay in the same group, vowing to remain together no matter what challenges arise.

The novel rapidly shifts from the relative calm of Venice to the unpredictable and harsh reality of life under their captors' control. As days turn into months, the creeping onset of winter in the East presents its own dreadful dangers. The boys, initially taken in June wearing mostly shorts and other lightweight clothing suitable for home, find themselves in Ukraine, where they scavenge potato sacks to use as makeshift blankets and coats. The weak fall ill and perish, while the strong survive through relentless labor and their daily ration of bread, sausage, or egg, and water.

The boys, who once lived without worries, now long for home. They wonder if their parents are aware of their thoughts and feel sympathy for the families of Polish Jews, for whom they have been forced to construct barbed-wire fences. Napoli vividly describes a cruel Nazi soldier observing a little girl approach the wire. As she touches it, laughing at a nearby dog and duckling, he heartlessly plucks the wire, "like a musician plucks the string of a violin," causing it to snap back and tear the girl's lips. This scene deeply moves the reader. The close presence of the imprisoned Jews impacts both Enzo and Roberto, but Enzo, being Jewish, feels a stronger connection to their suffering. Both boys share their food with the children, but Enzo sees himself in every Jew he encounters, leading to his emotional decline.

Enzo's death leaves Roberto so emotionally numb that he can walk away without fearing the bullets that might come his way. This marks the beginning of his seemingly impossible journey back home, leaving the cold behind as he heads towards the warmth of the sun.

As one might anticipate from a linguist, Napoli demonstrates exceptional skill with words. The brief, one- and two-word chapter titles in Stone in Water suggest a concise, fast-paced narrative: "The Film," "The Train," "The Picks," "Wasser," "Stones," "Boots," "The Woods," "Cold," "Life," "The Sled," "The Boy," "Boots Again," "Under Bushes," "Fever," and "Stones." These straightforward titles, when revisited after finishing the book, can jolt the reader...