This book is based on 18 life stories as told by women over the age of 70 with roots in 27 different countries. Each story is analysed as a unique account of individual experiences with strength, pain and love. The stories are, at the same time, a source of knowledge about major events in society over the past decades where flight, migration and encounters between different cultures have been a condition of life for many. Visual artist Marit Benthe Norheims project, Lifeboats, is the framework for this book, which consists of three sailing sculptures that symbolise different stages in womens lives: Longing -- the young about to set out in life; Life -- the pregnant in mid-life; Memories -- the ageing. It is the third boat and its 19 figureheads that this book is linked to. The narratives of the figureheads hold the common message -- in spite of their differences -- to remember the past and to use those experiences to promote openness and tolerance. This book is based on a collaboration between Professor Ann-Dorte Christensen, Aalborg University, and visual artist, Marit Benthe Norheim. Journalist, Marianne Knudsen, has contributed to the research and the interviews. The book is published with support from the Spar Nord Foundation.