The fate of two twelve-year-old boys and their widowed mothers in the post-war period. The two school friends, Heinrich and Martin, have never known their fathers, who fell in the war. Heinrich grows up in distressingly poor conditions. Far too early, he is thrust into the world of adults and must take on responsibility. His friend Martin does not know financial hardship, but senses that something is missing for his mother despite all their prosperity. Heinrich Böll describes with great sensitivity the problems and struggles of these two boys, who also have to cope with the challenges of early adolescence. Their fates, along with those of their mothers, represent the war-torn generation.