Daniel Kraushaar

Daniel Kraushaar is the main character of the novel. He is a boy in his early teens as the novel opens in 1933, and is a bright student at the elite Christianeum school in Hamburg, Germany. He lives with his parents, Rheinhard and Sophie, in a large comfortable house. His father is a prominent and successful lawyer. Like most of his friends, Daniel idolizes Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party as a boy and he wants to join the Hitler Youth organization along with his friends. He learns, however, that his mother is of Jewish ancestry, making him half Jewish and ineligible to join the Nazi organization. Daniel is angry after learning about his heritage, but comes to accept it.

Daniel is best friends with Armin Hillman, a boy in his same year at school who comes from a working-class background, and who eventually betrays his friendship. As...