Summary

Author Masaji Ishikawa remembers the night he escaped from North Korea. It was raining heavily as he contemplated swimming across the Yalu River to China. He remembers the family he left behind but knows that if he stays in North Korea he will die of starvation. If he leaves, he knows there is a chance he can later rescue the rest of his family and that he can be no help to them if he dies of hunger. He plunges into the river and remembers the last words he spoke to his family: "If I succeed in escaping, somehow or other, no matter what it takes, I'll get you there too" (2).

Analysis

The prologue foreshadows the climax of the book in which Masaji Ishikawa risks his life to escape North Korea. It also highlights the severity of the life and death situation he and...