Growing up in the idyllic town of Bardejov, Czechoslovakia, before World War II, Marcus Rosenberg's rights and freedoms as a Jew were protected by a democratic government. When the fascist Hlinka party gained control of the country in 1939, however, the situation took a dramatic turn. Sympathetic to the Third Reich, the new government instigated a vast number of Nazi-like, anti-Jewish laws and began deporting its Jewish citizens to the east.

The Rosenberg family was torn apart by war, deportations, and horrific experiences in the Nazi death camps. Miraculously, Marcus Rosenberg and three of his siblings survived, returning to Bardejov to rebuild their lives. Within a few short years, the country was again taken over, this time by Communists, and the Rosenbergs escaped to the United States.

In Markus, Planter of Trees, author Elizabeth Meyer Liener narrates the daring and courageous story of Marcus Rosenberg-revealing tragedy and renewal, the building of a new life, lofty dreams, endless work, and noteworthy accomplishments. She shows how Rosenberg's inspiring and important successes came not only in the world of business, but in the world of philanthropy and religious perpetuity as well. He was a man of tenacity and perseverance, a role model, and a builder of community.