The year is 1945 in Berlin, Germany. A boy named Noah and his family have just been apprehended by the Gestapo. His family was hiding from the police. They knew if the Nazi’s had found them they would be arrested. This was because they were Jewish. The Gestapo, led by Adolf Hitler, was searching for any and all Jews.

Noah is transported to Auschwitz, a concentration camp. On the train there he meets a girl named Sophia.  They become friends and make a plan to help each other through their struggles in Auschwitz. When they get to Auschwitz, they were separated and put into different cells. They saw each other from time to time getting to places that they had to work.

Since Sophia is a girl she knows that she will be one of the first people to be killed. The Nazi’s would put people to work. If the children and women couldn’t complete the harsh tasks that the Nazi’s would put them through, the Nazi’s would then put them in gas chambers and kill them. Since Noah and Sophia were in their teens, he might have been able to complete some of the tasks and might be spared, but his chances were unlikely.

Right when they stepped on the premises, their fate was sealed. They both knew that they would most likely be killed. For the time being, they were sent to work. They would work nonstop for hours at a time daily. The work would not stop coming and the commander would beat them constantly if they had troubles doing the work. They knew if they couldn’t do it, they would be gassed.

They were fed seldom which made them even weaker. Noah knew he had to find more food. He would search constantly, but he knew it would be difficult. He didn’t have much time to search, but he knew if he couldn’t find food, he would die. He knew that Commander Schneider would find him and beat him, or he would even be gassed. That was the scariest thing for Noah. Noah knew that meant death. He just wanted to get through this gruesome time.

Every night Noah prayed that he could be released. He had to stay quiet. If the commanders heard him, he would definitely be gassed. The commanders already hated the Jews and their practices, if they had the opportunity to kill a Jew for practicing their religion, they would. The commanders wouldn’t even hesitate. He prayed that the war would end. Sophia did the same.

Noah and Sophia are trying to keep up with the news of the war. They don’t know much and they can’t find anything out either. They have been blocked from the outside world. People are being continually corralled into the gas chambers and murdered. Noah doesn’t know if the war will ever end. He knows that each day leads him closer to death. He fears that the day is coming soon.

Weeks go by of working days on end. Noah wakes up the next day and there are different soldiers there. They aren’t wearing the Nazi’s swastikas. Noah thinks that they are speaking English. He can’t understand what they mean. They seem to be leading them to trains. Noah wonders if they are transporting him to another concentration camp. People are packing their things. Whatever is left.

Sophia runs up to Noah. She tells him that the war has ended. They’re free! She tells Noah that the soldiers are American and are bringing them back to their homes.

Noah is very relieved. He is so joyful that the pain and suffering have ended. Noah packs all his things to leave. He will miss seeing Sophia and being friends with her. He hoped that he would be able to see her again. He said goodbye to Sophia and boarded the train. The trip felt longer than the ride there. He couldn’t wait to get back to his family. They had been separated when they were taken by the Nazi’s.

After the long trip, Noah is finally reunited with his family. There were many hugs and many tears. They were all happy to be together again. Suddenly, Noah makes the realization, that there were no casualties in his family. This put the biggest smile on his face. The realization that he didn’t lose anyone important to him, was the best thing he could ask for.

He felt awful for the other families that had lost others. He was traumatized. He had no idea what the other people were going through. Noah let that thought slip away from his mind. He decided to stay focused on happy things.

15 YEARS LATER

Noah was walking down the street in Berlin. As he was walking, a familiar face passed by. He didn’t realize at first, but it was Sophia. They both stopped and realized. They turned around quickly. They were so excited to see each other. Noah explained that he had to get to work, but they exchanged phone numbers.

Later that day, Noah gets a call. He was very excited because he knew it was Sophia. He picks up the phone and Noah and Sophia start chatting. Since the phone bill is racking up, they decide to meet next week at a cafe.

Next week they meet and catch up. Sophia went to America for a while to go to college. She told Noah how spectacular America was. She is now a journalist in Berlin for the Berliner Morgenpost. Noah got a degree in engineering and is now working on inventions for a company based in Berlin.

Noah and Sophia are continually spending time together and having fun. After 2 weeks of hanging out, Noah decides to ask Sophia on a date. Without hesitating, she says yes. They go on their first date and have a great time.

After 2 years of dating, Noah asks Sophia to marry him. Sophia says yes and they get married. They end up having 2 children and become a loving family. All thanks to Noah’s survival.