Set in 1974, the story opens from the POV of a man who has just sent his troops into battle. He is in his office thinking about past battles, wondering if his current plan will work. Meanwhile a plane carrying an AngelGuide American tour group, in their third week in Scandinavia, is making an unscheduled 'changeover' in Hamburg, Germany. From the window of the plane, as they land, the passengers can see armed soldiers. To one, it is an adventure; to four others, it is a disaster as they are Jews who had been in German concentration camps. To add to their consternation, they see that the soldiers wear the uniforms of the S.S. When everyone leaves the plane, the soldiers escort only the tour group into a separate old building. The leader of the soldiers is Captain Schindler who has stationed his men around the waiting room to guard the group members. While the group members are waiting and wondering, some talk among themselves. Bud tries to talk to Tom, who had been an American pilot in WWII and spent time in a German prison camp, into helping them all escape. Others of the group reflect on their life or have dreamlike thoughts as the atmosphere and setting encourage that. Finally Captain Schindler announces that they will be able to board their plane, "however, some are to remain as they are to be tried as war criminals by the Fuehrer." The group is aghast. Joy, the group leader, and others protest, while another member tries to call the American Embassy. But nothing is what it appears to be.