The Last Green Valley

As the caravan continues through Moldova, conditions remain treacherous. Emil has to help his parents unstick their wagon from the mud. The trek takes the Martels and Losings through Chisinau, where enslaved laborers are building fortifications for the Wehrmacht. Although he is using the Nazis to escape Stalin, Emil plans to escape from the Nazis as well if he gets the chance. He remains on alert for any sightings of Major Haussmann.

A week into the journey, they stop for the night outside of Hincesti. Emil hears singing near their wagon and finds four men, one of whom is named Nikolas, drinking around a fire. Nikolas explains that they are refugees as well.

Nikolas asks Emil if he was granted refugee status because he is a member of the Selbstschutz, a militia group of ethnic-German people in Ukraine formed by the Nazis. Nikolas explains that he is a member of and earned his place in the caravan by assisting the Nazis in murdering Jewish people. Emil insists he is not a member of the Selbstschutz and never killed anyone, but Nikolas does not believe him.