Set against the backdrop of 1970s San Francisco, 'By Blood' is a gothic noir tale that unfolds within the thin walls of an old downtown building. Here, a disgraced professor becomes engrossed in the therapy sessions of a patient from the office next door. As the woman's struggles with identity, connection to her adoptive family, and the pursuit of her birth mother seep through the walls, a deeply personal and illicit narrative begins to form. With fervor, the professor injects himself into her quest for truth, uncovering the grim secrets of post-WWII displaced persons, the Nazi Lebensborn program, and the patient’s genuinely Jewish ancestry. As the professor manipulates the unfolding of events from behind his curtain of secrecy, Ellen Ullman masterfully crafts a tale that challenges the bounds of fate, identity, and the profound impact our histories have on our lives.