Twelve-year-old David escapes from the concentration camp where he has lived for as long as he can remember. David is shocked and relieved that he is not shot as he climbs over the electric fence (the current has been turned off briefly), leaves the camp, and walks measuredly towards the tree line (he doesn’t want to give the guard the satisfaction of shooting him on the run). The man, an unnamed person who works at the camp, orchestrated David’s escape, arranging for the electricity to be turned off for half a minute and indicating with a lit match when David should leave. He advises David to retrieve a bundle containing a compass and bottle of water that he left for him in a thicket by the road. David also asks the man for a bar of soap before he leaves.

David retrieves the bundle, which also contains a pocket knife and a loaf of bread, and begins following the compass south, as advised by the man. David runs through the nights and sleeps during the days. As recommended by the man, he is bound for Salonica, a port city in Greece, where he will try to board a ship to Italy and then travel north through Italy, Switzerland, and Germany to reach Denmark.