The story revolves around Thomas's abduction as a child by Germans in a northeastern Brazilian city, trying to obtain information from the boy's father on the North Atlantic Sea Operation prior to the sinking of the Graf-Spee. The remembrances of the abduction gets interrupted for more than ten years and only regain interest when the author, already an adult, discovers his abductor working at the counter of an Argentine telephone company. The book further describes how Thomas manages to imprison a group of war criminals, including the abductor himself. The book also follows the development of this young fellow's professional career in Argentina and Latin America, including his first experience in love matters.