Chapter 1

Josef Landau is a young Jewish boy living in Berlin in 1938. He wakes to the sounds of Nazi soldiers breaking into his house. The soldiers abuse Josef and his younger sister, Ruth, as they struggle. Their father, Aaron, is arrested for being Jewish and practicing law despite it having been “forbidden” in 1933.

As a result of the fear and chaos, Josef wets himself, and the soldiers make fun of him. They threaten to take him to a concentration camp when he tries to free his father, as he claims he is soon to be “a man” himself. On their way out with their captive, the Nazis “trashed” the house. Later, Josef learns that this attack was part of Kristallnacht, a night on which many Jewish people were arrested and their homes and businesses destroyed. Josef thinks about whether his family will need to leave Germany.

Chapter 2

Isabel is an eleven-year-old girl living in Cuba in 1994. She gives a bit of her meal to a starving kitten and thinks about their similar lives. Food has been rationed for some time in Cuba, but the situation has worsened in recent years with the fall of the Soviet Union.

Isabel’s neighbor Iván arrives with some fish for the cat before returning home to help his father build a boat that the family plans to use to flee Cuba for the U.S. Fidel Castro, Cuba’s leader, would not allow his people to go “el norte.” Anyone who was caught planning to do so would be imprisoned. This had happened to Isabel’s father.

When her father and grandfather go into Havana to line up for rations, Isabel follows so she can attempt to make a pittance from passersby as she plays her trumpet. Though the buildings are dilapidated, Isabel enjoys the vibrant city life. As she plays her trumpet, Isabel attempts to connect with “the heartbeat of Cuba,” but she is distracted by the sound of glass breaking.

Chapter 3

Mahmoud is a boy living in Syria in 2015 who is first described as “invisible.” He attempts to maintain a low profile so Syria’s army or the rebels don’t notice him. In school, he isn’t called on by the teacher and claims to have no friends. After school, Mahmoud finds his younger brother, Waleed, and they walk home. Mahmoud takes different routes to avoid armed conflict and dangerous buildings that could collapse.

Only four years earlier, Mahmoud’s city, Aleppo, was thriving, but in 2011, “the Arab Spring” reached Syria after several other countries in the Middle East also experienced rebellions and conflicts. Syrians live in fear of Bashar al-Assad, but a man who spoke out against the dictator was jailed, and others who expressed dissent followed. Assad began to have troops attack protestors.

Food has become scarce in the war-torn country, and Mahmoud witnesses conflict between Shia and Sunni Muslims in the streets. Former friends begin to turn on one another over their differences. All of these circumstances lead Mahmoud to believe it’s best to remain invisible as he goes about daily life, even when he feels he should try to help those being abused and oppressed.

Chapter 4

Josef and his family board a train, specifically, a car for Jewish passengers. They are required to wear an armband emblazoned with the Star of David to identify them in public, but they are largely ignored. The narrator remarks that by 1939, many countries are no longer “admitting Jewish refugees,” but Josef’s family will travel to Cuba, first by train, then by steamer.

As they prepare to...