Max, who is the subject here, was always connected to his homeland, but he became curious about other people, foreign customs, and languages, and explored the world. He did not like the government of the GDR, nor the People's Police, who prevented him and many others from crossing the borders of the small GDR. He was also disappointed by many conditions he encountered in West Germany. Eventually, he went abroad. The stories in this book are about a man who lived in Germany for a long time: in the German Empire, in the Soviet occupation zone, in the GDR, from where he fled to West Berlin, and then in the Federal Republic of Germany. Ultimately, he lost sight of Germany entirely; he went abroad and became a professor there. In fact, he became a political refugee – as it was called in the GDR.