Truth explains that three “pivots” take place within a single week that change the lives of the protagonists. Fannie, who was thrown from the train, hides and washes her wounds. In the distance, she hears the shrill screech of a braking train car and runs, believing that her escape has been noticed. She falls asleep under a tree, and in the morning, she hears the voice of a woman calling down to her. At first, she does not understand what the woman is saying, but she realizes that the woman is speaking Hungarian and calling her “Jewish.”

Sebastian and the other prisoners spend eight days traveling to Auschwitz; they travel in unsanitary conditions amongst feces and dead bodies and are given barely any food or water. When they arrive, they are pulled from the train and separated by sex. Sebastain attempts to run after his mother and is hit on the back of the head with a wooden pole. Lev grabs him and tells him to stay next to him as they are placed into lines. Nazi officers examine each of the men, pulling the older and weaker ones from the group.

Nico falls asleep near a bridge.