Yanek and his family live in Krakow, Poland. But in just a blink of an eye, their city was invaded by the Germans beginning WWII. For now, Yanek and his family remain in Krakow. For a little while they stay in their flat with several other families. Anti Semitic rules have been put in place that persecute Jewish people, taking away any rights they had. Over time, walls are built up around the ghetto to contain the remaining Jews who have not been taken for resettlement or deportation yet. One-by-one many Jews were relocated to other Jewish ghettos, work camps, concentration camps or were killed on site.

Yanek's Figurative Journey
With the stress of no food, and constant hiding, Yanek is living in fear of being caught by the Nazis. His emotional state is one of constant terror and panic at what awaits him at every turn. The unknown aspects of the war leave a feeling of being unsettled. Yanek's early life as a 10 year old boy before the war was very normal. He attended school, played with friends, and went to the synagogue with his family. He loves his Mom and Dad and look up them but as the war continues Yanek begins to doubt his fathers constant hopefulness and positivity and wonders who is really right- his father or Uncle Moshe. "I still worried he was wrong, but fresh bread made me forget all my troubles. For a little while, at least." (pg. 25) Doubting your parents for the first time is a struggle for Yanek especially in war-torn Poland. 

Throughout these chapters Yaneks has been through so much he starts doubting himself and wants to give up, but he remembers he should try survive for his parents cause they would not want him to give up so easy.

After the situation with the Goeth and the floorboards, he woke up one morning and at roll call, Yanek was one of the 50 prisoners taken out of Krakow Plaszow by the Nazis to a place called Wieliczka salt mine. Yanek made his way down the elevator it made him think of the floorboards again and if it was a tight squeeze. Until then, Yanek started thinking that a familiar man from Plaszow and two other prisoners had been watching. Once they exited the elevator Yanek and his fellow prisoners were assigned to work in different levels and rooms.

As Yanek and his fellow prisoners were taken to Trzebina the Nazis taunted and worked the Jews to death and just waited for them to fall or give them a dirty look. Throughout the chapter, Yanek becomes more furry and wants to take action and not go down without a fight. Still, then he starts to have fear and realize that he will suffer because of what they would do to him, but also he would make the other prisoners get hurt because the guards would think they were his accomplices. In the end, Yanek just starts to have acceptance and just takes it cause he knows to try to survive he just has to be quiet and try his best.

The Nasiz took the Jews outside of their concentration camps and put them into a cattle cart all the people huddled into a tiny cart. Many of them said they could not breathe and were being suffocated. They were begging the guards to let them out but for those who complained they were shot right away. During their drive, a person died from Hunger who was right next to Yanek, and fell on his shoulder. Yanek was suffering in the cart he could not breathe either and was being squished to death. When they arrived at Birkenau camp people started throwing snowballs at all the carts as he was getting snow on him he began to lick it off because he was dying of thirst. When they were entering someone told him to sit under the vents and he will die faster.

Yaneks figurative Journey.

In Auschwitz Poland, the prisoners and Yanek were sent to this camp and as they entered, there was a sign on the gate that said work would set you free, Yanek knew that was a lie but it gave the new prisoners hope, and thinking they will be free. In Auschwitz Yanek meant a young boy around the same age as Yanek his named was fired. As they counted talking they realized more and more things about each other and how they both lived in Plazow Krakow and grew up not too far from each other.

Yanek was sent again to another contraction camp. To get there, they had to do this thing called a Death march. They suffered nine days walking through the cold; some of them didn't even have shoes. When they arrived in Sachsenhausen, they saw this enormous radio tower, and as they marched, they saw it growing more bigger as they walked.

In chapter 26 Yanek starts to lose hope. At the beginning of the chapter, A soldier sees Yanek has a missing button from his uniform.

He tells Yanek that the punishment for that is 20 lashes. Once Yanek gets the lashes, he starts counting in Polish, but the guard tells him to say it in German, so he does so, he also doesn't know German so he tries his best but when he gets them wrong he gets more lashes. Later that day he falls after all that pain. he wakes up to the sound of bombs but all the prisoners just go back to sleep because they don't want to waste their sleep for that. Yanek wants to give up and wishes the bomb would fall on them but he has a dream. The text states"That night I had a dream. I was in a beautiful green meadow. Yellow wildflowers grew here and there, so tall they swayed in the light summerś breeze."( page 218).

As the Jews were marching once again the Cezchs would help them as much as they could while they were marching through. When they were back in Germany, all the doors and windows were closed shut, and Yanek said if they didn't see them they left enough dead bodies in the ditches.