Summary

In the story “The January Offensive,” Tadek tells of the trouble that he and others had adjusting to life as free men outside of the concentration camp. He describes the way the men were isolated in military barracks through the summer after their liberation. They try to find any way possible to get out of the barracks. Tadek and three of his friends are able to get an apartment vacated by a Nazi.

In the second section of this story, the men first begin searching for their friends and family members. Out of curiosity, they invite the Polish poet, his wife and mistress to stay with them at their apartment. They argue with the poet considering the effects of the war on the morality of men. They believe that once a man has had to commit crimes in order to save himself...