Phillip is at his home in Scharloo, an area of Willemstad on the island of Curaçao, on the night that German U-boats first attack. The next morning, he wants to look out at the sea and see if he can spot the submarines. His mother, Grace, instructs him to stay close to home, but he does not listen to her and heads to Fort Amsterdam with his friend, Henrik van Boven. Henrik, whose father works for the army, knows more about the attack than Phillip does. Phillip believes that the United States navy will soon come to Curaçao’s aid. Henrik hopes that the Dutch navy will also come, and Phillip “didn’t want to argue with him. Everyone felt bad that Holland had been conquered by the Nazis” (13). A soldier shoos the boys away, and Phillip returns home. His mother scolds him for disobeying her, and he reflects that Henrik’s mother is less prone to worrying about the boys’ actions.

Phillip’s father comes home from the petroleum refinery that evening, having gone to work at two o’ clock in the morning to help manage the crisis. Grace warns Phillip not to ask his father too many questions, as the situation is stressful enough, and Phillip considers how much less time he gets to spend with his father now that the refinery is taking up so much of his time.