The mother of the Dunbar boys has many monikers over the course of her life. She begins as Penelope Lesciuszko, then is given names like Mistake Maker, Birthday Girl, and Broken-Nose Bride, but dies as Penny Dunbar. When she arrives in Australia, she is astounded by the power of the sun that is nothing like the sun from her home in the Eastern Bloc. She speaks with an immigration officer and reflects on her time in Austrian refugee camps.

Penelope’s mother dies in childbirth and her father raises her. She grows up hearing about Greek mythology and her father teaches her the piano until her skills outgrew his and he sends her to lessons.

Penelope grows up amid communism, when the waits for resources are long and being anti-communist was an imprisonable offense. Her father resolves to help Penelope escape but tells no one of his plans. When she graduates school at 18, she works as a secretary and becomes involved in the orchestra. She is such a talented musician that she goes on brief tours to perform concerts around the Eastern Bloc. Her father decides to enact his plan for her freedom when she performs a concert in Austria.