Yanek and his family live in krakow, poland. but just in a blink of an eye there city was invaded by germans beginning WWII. for now, Yanek and his family remain in Krakow. for a little they stay in there flat with several other families Anti-semitic rules have been put in a place that they where also called the krakow ghetto

in the salt mine, he has a lot of interest in it and how he explores it and works in it. Yanek lost everything and he is forced to work in the salt mine and get the salt and get onto the carts at this place they had to do every little thing with the salt and the germans were like Judenrat and told the Jews what to do in the salt mine.

in chapter 14 Yanek is at a comp in Trzebinia he does not want to die suffering so he thinks that he wants to fight off the guards and try and escape but he does not want to because he does not want the guards to kill other people with him and Yanek said that the nazi where like the players and them where the ball being kicked around and at the end, he was deported to another one he had no choice. he had to go to another concentration camp.

when Yanek was on the train he was not able to breathe and he heard someone else complaining he was shot by one of the guards so Yanek decided to quit complaining so he rolled over to a vent and was able to get fresh cold air into his lungs

when they moved to Auschwitz they had to walk for nine days and people who were at the back and could not keep up would get shot. when they went to bed the guards were fine because they had tents and fires to stay warm at night and called it the death march. and one guard said to Yank when they got somewhere "The only way out is through the chimney and Yanek got scared. and the sign "Arbeit macht frei" is something that means work sets you free

Yanek had been transferred to Sachsenhausen, and there were new people there. They were all murders. They said that they could have one week off to get some more energy in them. Also, when they were done with their one weak, they raced to see who was the strongest in the group. Even though Yanek needed air badly, he kept on going to see if he could win.

When Yanek was done with the death march they were not allowed to go to bed and they had to eat but he said it was better than nothing so they went to eat and he traded the soup for a nice toasted piece of bread and Then when they where eating Yanek was brought away and he had to sing he thought that he was going to get killed but he just had to sing and when they where working moon face called him over because he did not like the way Yanek looked at him so he punched, kicked, and hurt him so he did a race to see if he could go to the next camp so he can get away from moon face before he kills him and even thought he won the race he was trying not to act like he need air they where anti semitism by how they where hurting the jews

When Yanek was in the prison he saw the guards tie up a deer antlers to a fence but then they got caught and lost the trust of the owners the deer was set free but also when they were in the camp they saw a guard give a bear a raw piece of meat an the prisoners wished they had it so the guards got a piece of steak and made them fight for it and also Yanek said that they were so many Jews being killed that they were running out of Jews to work they where being and they where perpetrators by the way they where being mean and they where do wrong things to the Jews at this point he was in the 6 extermination death camp.

when Yanek was on the train he heard bombs go off and they were killing people he could feel the heat from all the bombs going off and there were a lot of Jews to start but they were killing so many that they were running out and when they got there he did something wrong and he got 20 lashes. they were moving camps because the Allies where getting closer

when Yanek woke up that morning they were all getting up but there were no guards one of the prisoners went to check and there were still no sign of guards they thought that it was a trick and then next to the gates opened and it was the Americans and they took them home and they gave yanek a blanket and a pillow with a mattriss and then they went to eat and Yanek said that he never had a meal like that in 6 years and when he got back home he see and girl that he remembered from a long time ago