It is fall, and Vladek is back at his home in Rego Park. He continues to try to persuade Art and Françoise to live with him, convinced that Mala will only take more of his money if he reconciles with her.

Art wants to know details of where his mother was while Vladek was in Dachau, but Vladek does not know. He explains that he knows Mancie continued to look out for Anja and that she was able to reach Russia when they were forced out of Birkenau. He explains that his own liberation took much longer.

Vladek traveled via train to Switzerland, where he was to be traded for German POWs. But, as they disembarked, news that the war had ended reached them, and the German soldiers guarding the group refused to give them up, forcing them to march through the woods, away from Switzerland. This continued for a few days with Vladek unsure of what was happening. Finally, the group woke one morning to discover that the German soldiers had fled, leaving behind their weapons. Vladek and a few others set off on foot alone, hiding in barns and abandoned where they could because Jews were still being captured. In one house, they find food and clothing and can finally rid themselves of the prison uniforms.