In 1940, refugees from all over Europe arrive in Marseille by the thousands. They rush after visas, stamps, and certificates, without which they cannot leave the continent. In the chaos of the city, in the cafés, and while hunting from one authority to another, their paths cross. Among them is the first-person narrator, who experiences a painful love for the woman who is restlessly searching for her husband, whose death she refuses to believe. Equipped with false papers and by chance with the legacy of that deceased man, he receives a fortunate opportunity for passage overseas. However, he gives it back. On her own odyssey from Marseille to Mexico, deeply influenced by her personal experiences, Anna Seghers began working on this novel. Yet, it does not simply reflect the events; rather, it is a work of great art and artistry, full of irony.