Using carved erasers and ink, Bertie forges American citizenship stamps in three passports with assistance from Sofie and Karl. As they pack for a ferry leaving from Stuttgart, Sofie agrees to take Bertie’s surname to pose as his wife. Their plans are interrupted when Officer Ward and his men arrive and bang on the door. Ward calls out “Fräuline Durchdenwald,” using Bertie’s real surname and revealing that he has discovered his identity.

Believing he is caught, Bertie instructs Sofie and Karl to claim that he deceived them so they can protect themselves and continue with the escape. He apologizes to Karl for failing to protect him years earlier and urges him to pursue a second chance. Bertie, Sofie, and Karl then exchange emotional declarations of love before Bertie voluntarily opens the door.

Ward reveals that he found the newspaper clipping Bertie lost near the farm and learned from another officer that Bernie had a Berlin accent. He searched Nazi records retained by the Americans and identified Bertie from his old Institut employee photograph. Ward also knows that Bertie and Sofie were reported dead by suicide. Despite Bertie challenging the continued enforcement of the law against him, Ward tells him that he faces five years in prison. 

Rather than surrendering, Bertie tricks Ward into believing he is about to reveal another secret. He leads the officers to Oma and Opa’s urn, apologizes to them, and throws their ashes into the officers’ faces, temporarily blinding them before fleeing out the back door. Sofie slides a suitcase in front of two officers, causing them to stumble, while Ward gets his leg stuck through the rotten potato boards. The chaos gives Bertie enough time to escape out the back door and flee into the woods. As the officers pursue Bertie, Karl tries to gather the spilled ashes before Sofie urges him to run. They escape out the front door with their luggage and the urn.

As Bertie flees through the woods, he takes refuge Frau Baer’s house by climbing through an open window. When Officer Ward and his men arrive at her door, Frau Baer hides Bertie under her couch and deflects their questions, though Bertie is surprised at how readily Ward backs down. Afterward, she explains that Bertie’s grief during the visit to Oberer Kuhberg and the fear she saw in his eyes that night convinced her that he was innocent.

Frau Baer reveals her real name is “Ber” and that she is Jewish, having also hidden her identity. Bertie confesses the truth about himself and explains that he was a close friend of Gert, the grandson of her former neighbors. Frau Ber reveals that she had long suspected Bertie might be like Gert, which was one reason she never exposed Bertie or Sofie despite knowing they were not Goss and Ina. Expressing sorrow for Gert, whom she remembers fondly, Frau Ber offers to hide Bertie. He declines, explaining he must reach the ferry and reunite with Sofie and Karl, and invites Frau Ber to escape to America with them. She refuses, preferring to remain in Germany now that the Americans know her true identity. 

Realizing Bertie has no money or anything to barter for passage, Frau Ber gives him her late husband’s gold pocket watch. In gratitude, Bert gives her the Baumann farm and tells her where to find the deed. Frau Ber offers to drive him to the ferry, but Bertie decides to travel on foot rather than risk her being stopped by the authorities. She asks him to write when he is safe, and he promises to do so.

Bertie walks all night and the following day to reach Stuttgart, suffering from exhaustion, hunger, and bloody feet. He feels immense guilt, worrying that Gert might still be alive and that he is abandoning him. Bertie ultimately continues, reasoning that Frau Ber can direct Gert to America if he returns. When he arrives at the Neckar River, he finds a large crowd already waiting for the ferry. Sofie and Karl soon spot him, and they are reunited. Before Bertie arrived, Sofie had traded their automobile for food and water, though not enough to last the entire journey.

The three board the ferry, paying with things Sofie and Karl had brought in the suitcases to barter. The crowded conditions cause Karl to become increasingly anxious as they remind him of his traumatic experiences. Just as they settle into a corner, Officer Ward arrives on the pier and orders the crew to lower the boarding ramp so he can conduct a search. A nearby German passenger overhears their panic and offers to help. He and several other passengers pile their coats and jackets over Bertie, Sofie, and Karl as they hide together on the floor. Ward and his officers search the ferry and come close to discovering them, but the passenger claims that the pile of coats is intended as a sleeping place for children. Ward eventually gives up and leaves.

Afterward, Bertie discovers that the man who helped them is a Nazi sympathizer who mistakenly assumed that Bertie was being pursued by the Allies for similar reasons. Realizing there are Nazis and sympathizers aboard sends Karl into another panic, as he fears someone might recognize him from Dachau. Bertie and Sofie reassure him that they will keep to themselves and reveal nothing about their identities. Sofie draws piano keys on the floor and encourages Karl to silently play “Das Lila Lied,” helping him regain his composure.

As the ferry begins its journey, Bertie questions whether history will judge them for hiding rather than openly resisting the Nazis and worries they are now allowing Nazi sympathizers to escape to America alongside them. Karl reminds him that sympathizers also exist in America. Bertie then returns to his fears that Gert may still be alive and wonders whether he should have remained at the farm. However, Sofie reasons that if Gert were alive, he would eventually seek out Roy, while Karl argues that Bertie blaming himself cannot give him control over what happened. He directs the same message toward Sofie and her guilt over her family. As the three settle down to sleep, Bertie puts his arm around Sofie and pulls Karl close as well. Karl remains frightened by the surrounding noises, but they eventually succumb to exhaustion.

The ferry journey to Amsterdam takes ten days, during which Bertie, Sofie, and Karl pass through the French and British occupation zones and enter the Netherlands without incident. Conditions aboard are crowded and unsanitary, and their food runs out after eight days. Sofie continues teaching Karl piano using the fake keys and begins giving lessons to other passengers as well. The three otherwise keep to themselves over fears of the other passengers being Nazis or sympathizers.

They eventually arrive safely in Amsterdam and make their way toward the last ship scheduled to leave for New York. Facing an enormous crowd, Bertie forces his way through while holding onto Sofie and Karl. They barter Frau Ber’s pocket watch, silver cutlery, and other possessions for three of the cheapest tickets and secure a cramped space in the ship’s lowest berth.

The conditions during the Atlantic crossing are even worse. They are crowded, hot, filthy, and receive little food. Several people die and their bodies are thrown overboard, upsetting Karl. Bertie begins sneaking onto the upper decks at night to retrieve discarded food from the wealthier passengers’ garbage. One night, the Nazi who helped them evade Ward catches Bertie and offers him a cigarette. The two compare their forged American passports, and the man’s red passport confirms to Bertie that he is an actual Nazi officer. Afterward, Bertie begins finding better food left in the garbage and suspects the man may be deliberately leaving it for him.

Karl later attempts to join a group of women sharing stories about the violence they experienced during and after the war. When Karl tries to participate, one woman dismisses his suffering as a man, noting how this makes him partially responsible for the violence against them. Upset, Karl tells Bertie that people seem only to view women as victims and men as perpetrators, leaving no place for someone like them.

Later, while Karl is alone on deck, the Nazi approaches him and repeatedly tries to start a conversation. Karl becomes increasingly frightened and asks to be left alone. When the man puts a hand on his shoulder, Karl panics while trying to escape his grasp and falls overboard. Unable to swim, Karl struggles to stay above water until Sofie jumps from the ship and swims to rescue him. Bertie throws them a life ring attached to a rope but cannot pull them back aboard alone. The Nazi and his companions unexpectedly help Bertie haul Karl and Sofie to safety.

Afterward, Sofie tearfully realizes that she successfully saved Karl from drowning, unlike her nephew years earlier. The Nazi and his friends continue to show concern for them and invite them to visit their quarters for food, cigarettes, and cards. Bertie is disturbed knowing how kind and ordinary the men seem despite knowing they are Nazis. When he remarks that they seem like everyday people, Karl replies that this is “what makes them so terrifying” (264).

For the remainder of the voyage, Bertie, Sofie, and Karl maintain an uneasy balance between avoiding the Nazis and interacting with them enough to prevent suspicion. The Nazi who helped rescue Karl repeatedly tries to speak with him, but Karl avoids him until Bertie explains that Karl is painfully shy. Karl also keeps his distance from the group of women who previously dismissed his experiences and continues his piano lessons with Sofie. Meanwhile, the seawater soaked Karl’s bindings, leaving his skin badly chafed and raising concerns about infection.

Nearly 14 days after leaving Amsterdam, the passengers see the Statue of Liberty and arrive in New York. Rather than feeling relieved, Bertie worries about being let in and still having to hide their identities. As they wait to disembark, the Nazi asks to keep in contact with them and gives Bertie his address. Bertie politely accepts but tears it up once the man walks away. The three then review their cover story: Bertie and Sofie are married, Karl is Sofie’s nephew, and they are American citizens who had been living as farmers in Germany.

As the immigration line moves forward, Bertie and Sofie remind Karl how to carry himself to avoid attracting attention or being selected for a physical examination. They watch some travelers be admitted while others are rejected or taken away for further inspection. The Nazi and his companions present their passports and are quickly allowed through without having their luggage searched. When Bertie, Sofie, and Karl finally reach the front, they hand over their forged passports. An American agent examines the documents twice before ordering the three to step aside. Officers take them into a nearby building for further inspection, leaving them uncertain what will happen next.

Bertie, Sofie, and Karl are questioned by an American official. To verify their story that Sofie is a piano teacher, he demands that Karl play the piano. In a moment of quick thinking, Karl convinces the man to let him play “Das Lila Lied” instead of a requested Mozart piece. Before beginning, Karl places Oma and Opa’s urn on the piano. As Karl prepares to play, Bertie finally accepts that Gert is dead and decides he will eventually burn the flat-cap and add its ashes to the urn. He, Karl, and Sofie perform the song with passion. 

After the performance, the official confiscates their forged passports and places them in his desk, initially leading them to believe they have failed. Instead, he asks for their real names and begins preparing their new American passports for them. He initially Anglicizes their names as Burt Jones, Carl Fox, and Sophie Jones, but Karl asks that all three receive the surname Bauman to honor the couple who protected people hunted by Nazis. The official agrees and issues legitimate passports. Bertie is especially moved to see that his new passport identifies him as male. After a brief medical examination, the three are allowed to leave the building and enter New York.

Outside, their relief is mixed with a sense of loss as they examine their new identities. Bert realizes that he will never again live as Berthold Durchdenwald, while Karl observes that he never truly had the opportunity to live as Karl Fuchs. Although Bertie is grateful for his new life and documents, he recognizes that reaching America has not ended their need to hide part of themselves. When Karl asks what they should do now, Karl answers that they will do their “best.”

Just outside the immigration building, Karl reveals he saved asparagus berries from the farm in the hope of planting them in America. As the family ventures into New York, Bertie spots Roy in the crowd. Roy excitedly greets Bertie and then calls out for Gert, leading Bertie and Sofie to briefly believe that Gert is alive. When Karl approaches wearing Gert’s clothes and cap, however, the misunderstanding becomes clear. Roy had hoped that Gert escaped to Bertie and interpreted Bertie’s letter as a coded message that he might be with them. Devastated, Roy shows them a necklace he made from Gert’s lead fortune casting from their last Silvester celebration, one of the few possessions of Gert he has left.

When Bertie asks why he saw Nazis being admitted to America so easily, Roy warns them to only speak English and to feign hatred for Germany. He explains that the U.S. government is actively recruiting former Nazis for intelligence work against communists and homosexuals. Bertie realizes that the Nazi on their ship was likely a government recruit with a real passport. Roy offers Bertie, Sofie, and Karl a place to stay for as long as they need. 

As they walk through New York, Bertie reflects on the people and places they have lost and wonders whether America is actually better for people like them. Roy’s silence offers little reassurance, and when Bertie expresses hope that Dr. Hirschfeld’s work might eventually improve things, Roy observes that teaching people does not guarantee they will listen. When Karl asks what they should do now, Sofie answers simply, “Live.” Bertie struggles with the fear that moving forward might mean leaving Gert and the rest of their community behind but recognizes that refusing to live would be an even greater betrayal to those who helped him survive. Looking at Gert’s fortune casting around Roy’s neck, Bertie laments that one of the few remaining artifacts of their community symbolizes death. Karl counters that history does not reside in artifacts but in people. He declares that “[t]he history is us” (289), promising that they will continue passing that history on. Together, Bertie, Sofie, Karl, and Roy walk forward into their new lives.