Josef Landau, a young man of twelve, resides in Berlin. In 1938, Nazi storm troopers invade his home and drag his father away to the concentration camp at Dachau. At the six-month mark, his mom gets the news that her husband has been released, but the family must leave Germany immediately.
How Old is Mahmoud in Refugee
The trip to Hamburg to catch the ship to Cuba includes Josef, Ruth, and their mother. Josef’s parents see that he has changed since his release from Dachau; he is now paranoid and very frail. They go on a journey aboard the German liner St. Louis.
The Jewish immigrants, including Josef’s family, are treated warmly by Captain Schroeder and the majority of the crew aboard the St. Louis. However, some of the crew members openly despise the Jewish passengers, especially Otto Schiendick, who makes no secret of his Nazi loyalty. The St. Louis will not be permitted to dock in Cuba’s Havana Harbor.
The mental state of Josef’s father continues to deteriorate, and he eventually attempts suicide by jumping off the ship. Josef’s dad is saved by Officer Padron, a Cuban police officer stationed on the St. Louis. The elderly father of Josef is brought to Havana for medical care. The Jewish passengers on board the St. Louis welcome back Officer Padron with open arms when he returns.
At some point, the captain breaks the news that they can’t stop in Havana and set off immediately. He assures the travellers he’ll do his best to get them out of Germany. The refugees aboard the St. Louis are brought to England, Belgium, the Netherlands, and France. A few months after Josef’s family moves to France, the Nazis conquer the country. Upon their capture, Josef’s mother must make a heartbreaking decision: send some of her children to a concentration camp, or release some of them.
Eleven-Year-Old Isabel Fernandez Lives in the Suburbs of Havana, Cuba, in 1994.
Since the Soviet Union’s collapse, Cuba’s leadership under Fidel Castro has made life difficult for the vast majority of its population. Iván, Isabel’s best friend and neighbour, is helping his dad build a boat so that he and his family might escape to America.
After a riot in Havana, Isabel’s family decides that they should also leave Cuba quickly. To buy her way onboard Iván’s family’s boat, Isabel sells her trumpet to a fisherman in exchange for fuel. Also present is Isabel’s grandfather, Lito.
The Two Families Confront Many Hurdles as They Try To Cross The Caribbean Sea to Florida.
Iván gets mauled by sharks and dies of blood loss on the boat, while Isabel’s pregnant mother goes into labour toward the end of the expedition. Lito recounts his experiences as a teenage policeman on the St. Louis, when he was forced to turn away countless refugees. (Josef’s character, Officer Padron.) A Coast Guard boat from the United States tries to intercept the two families just as Miami appears on the horizon.
Just as they approach the shore, Isabel’s mother gives birth to a boy, and Lito rushes into the ocean to distract the Coast Guard. Isabel, a Cuban student in an American university, responds to a request for a musical performance by performing a salsa version of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Twelve-Year-Old Mahmoud Bishara was Born in Aleppo, Syria in 2015.
The Syrian government, rebels, the Soviet Union, the United States, and a number of other groups have been at war for several years in his country. When Mahmoud’s house burns down, he and his family rush to the Turkish border in an effort to get away. Waleed and Hana are accompanied by their parents.
Mahmoud’s dad says that they should be able to make it to Greece and then use EU transportation to reach Germany, where they will be welcome as refugees. Mahmoud and his family make their way to the Turkish border after escaping the violence in Syria.
Mahmoud’s dad hires a smuggler to get the family to the Greek island of Lesbos. They were trying to cross the Mediterranean on a raft, but it was smashed by rocks. Mahmoud, realising that his mother cannot hold Hana and swim, gives her to a passing raft of refugees. The Greek Coast Guard rescues the family from the water.
Mahmoud and his family are incarcerated in a prison-like refugee camp in Hungary after crossing through Serbia. After being ignored for too long, Mahmoud resolves to break out of prison with the other refugees and walk the twelve hours to Austria. Mahmoud’s family is among those who are welcomed in Austria before continuing on to Germany via rail.
As they move along, they inquire about Hana’s whereabouts. Mahmoud’s family spends a few weeks in Munich before moving in with a local family in Berlin. The elderly couple, identified only as Herr and Frau Rosenberg, invites them in. Mahmoud and Frau Rosenberg have a private moment where she reveals her identity to him as Ruth, Josef’s sister.
Josef volunteered to be taken by the Nazis the night he and his mother were seized in France, and both he and their mother perished in a concentration camp. Ruth assures Mahmoud that she will aid him in his search for Hana.
