D. P. Summary

In an orphanage in a small village on the Rhine, Catholic nuns look after displaced children of all nationalities. The local carpenter and mechanic watch the children and their favorite is Karl Heinz, a black boy they nicknamed "Joe Louis." The orphanage bully, Peter, tells Joe that his father was an American soldier.

One day, Joe sees a "massive brown man" walk out of the woods and leaves the orphanage after the others are asleep that night. Joe hides in the woods and is discovered by the Sergeant, the man Joe saw earlier. The soldiers call the Lieutenant who determines that Joe is an orphan and must be returned. Joe believes the Sergeant is his father and the Lieutenant promises Joe that the Sergeant will try to return for Joe.

The next morning Joe tells the other orphans that his gifts...