William Jurin, a Jewish shop owner in Austria, finds his life turned upside down when Hitler and the Nazis seize control of the country in 1938. Married to a Christian woman, Jurim finds himself in a precarious position, fearing for his safety and the well-being of his family. In a desperate attempt to protect his loved ones and his livelihood, he works tirelessly to transfer his business and apartment to his wife's name, hoping to keep them within the family.

As the Nazi terror spreads, Jurim faces numerous dangers and obstacles in his quest to secure safe passage to America. The book, based on a poignant letter Jurim wrote to his brother, who was sponsoring his immigration, and to his sister in Poland while traveling by ship to the United States, offers a vivid and heart-wrenching account of the harrowing experiences endured by Austrian Jews under the Nazi regime.