All the light we cannot see is told in almost 200 short chapters and constantly cuts back and forth between two main characters werner pfennig a young german boy with an aptitude for radio engineering and marie laure leblanc a young blind french girl who excels at reading and studying science the story is told un chronologically but the timeline is simplified for the purposes of this . All the light we cannot see covers five primary periods in the lives of marie laure leblanc and werner pfennig 1 childhood before the war marie laure lives in paris with her father a locksmith for the museum of natural history. All the light we cannot see follows the lives of marie laure leblanc and werner pfennig during a period of time surrounding world war ii the novel alternates between time periods starting in medias res during the bombing of saint malo france in august 1944 and then going back to tell the history of the two protagonists starting in 1934. Please be aware that this discussion guide may contain spoilers ten years in the writing anthony doerrs all the light we cannot see is an epic work of historical fiction with richly detailed language and characters who are both brave and heartbreaking doerr weaves together the stories of a french girl named marie laure who has lost her eyesight and a german orphan named werner. All the light we cannot see begins during the final year of world war ii hours before allied airplanes bomb the french city of saint malo they drop leaflets that warn the inhabitants to evacuate hours before allied airplanes bomb the french city of saint malo they drop leaflets that warn the inhabitants to evacuate