Even when faced with evil, prejudice, and oppression, the good in people can survive. When a young catholic boy meets, and lives in the same building with a Jewish family, he begins to see many things change in life. He rapidly sees discrimination against his friend Friedrich Schneider and Friedrich's family. The young boy and Friedrich met when they were fairly young, and created a strong bond of friendship and trust over many, many years. This young boy also notices that through most of Friedrich discrimination, he always seemed to be quite optimistic, or at least he tried to be.

In the beginning, the Schneider family seemed to be more fortunate. Herr Schneider had a job and was well respected. But once the Hitler and the NSDAP came to power, things begin to change. Friedrich's father loses his job and is arrested for helping hide a rabbi, Friedrich...