Summary

In 1942, veterinarian Rudolf Lessing, adjutant to Gustav Rau, takes the train past Auschwitz on his way to a stud farm in Poland. By this time, the Axis forces are at the height of their power and Gustav's "horse-breeding enterprise [is] flourishing" (37). On his train journey, Rudolf sees into a medical train car that pulls up alongside his on a parallel track. He is struck by the contrast between the Nazi party leaders drinking champagne in their train while soldiers suffer in the medical car. Through his work within the party, Rudolf gets "a front-row seat for the depredations being visited upon Poland" (40). Despite the chaos of war and genocide, Gustav's horse-breeding venture is going well. "While human beings were being transported in cattle cars, horses moved about in plush padded train cars, specially equipped for their protection, always...