It tells the story of a young boy who, with the help of a prison guard, escapes from a concentration camp in an unnamed Eastern European country and journeys to Denmark.

The book, originally written in Danish, has been translated into several languages, including Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, and German (all 1963), Dutch (1964), English (1965), Afrikaans (1982), and French (1986), and Konkani (1987).

This guard sets up the escape, gives him some soap, and leaves a sack outside the camp fence with bread, a bottle of water, and a compass in it.

David must go south to Salonica, find a boat to Italy, then travel north to a free country that has a king.

Thankfully, the Italian sailor decides to help David escape by lowering him down the side of the ship with a lifebelt on.

Later, after visiting the town every day for a while, David uses the excuse that he works for a circus to explain why he is a [polyglot] and why he is traveling.

David spends some time in Maria's family's house, where he sees a globe and learns about different countries.

However, his knowledge of suffering and death, as well as his enmity with their eldest son and his deepening, overtly exclusive relationship with Maria worries the parents.

At the end of his strength, he travels to the house and knocks on the door, introducing himself to his mother whom he recognizes from the picture he saw of her in Switzerland.