A Yenish people boy named Ernst Lossa is transferred to a mental institution, where he labors under the watch of Dr. Veithausen. Ernst, initially identified as a troublemaker, lives up to his role and frequently rebels in minor ways. He does not plan to stay in the institution long, but expects to be taken home (and eventually to America) by his father, Christian Lossa, but is denied discharge based on the fact that his father has no permanent address after being released from a concentration camp.