As a child, Fritz Arnold tragically loses his father—the beginning of a life that leads him through war, loss, and despair, but also to love and hope. In his memoirs, he vividly describes his youth in interwar Vienna, his service as a pioneer in World War II, and the deep emotional scars of that time. But amid the horrors, Fritz always finds light—in friendship, in survival, in his love for Erika. A personal document of contemporary history that reminds us never to forget the value of peace and humanity.