Jayson Jones
Jayson Jones is an editor who works for a publishing company. In the mail, he receives a letter from publisher Gerald Sanderson who has discovered a historically important diary written by a gay musician abroad who was imprisoned in the Nazi concentration camp at Dachau during WWII. That man was also African American, which leads Jayson to complicated considerations, because the reason the book might not sell is because the book shows a point of view that few people even know about. He hopes that the book will do well despite the lack of demand for its historical merit alone.
Clifford Pepperidge
A gay musician living in Germany, Clifford Pepperidge has a life of great color and depth. He is a musician who plays gigs with a jazz band, often playing weddings. Through that musical community, he finds a gay community in Germany. Meanwhile, he notices the building of a concentration camp in Dachau, and he wonders about the Nazi Party. Before long, the Nazis are in charge, and his colorful life among the German gay community is discovered by Nazi police. He is sent to the first concentration camp and stays there through the duration of WWII.
Dieter Lange
This SS officer is the top dog at Dachau, at least as far as Clifford is concerned. After getting to know Clifford, and seeing the nice addition that jazz piano might make in his life, Dieter Lange cuts Clifford a deal. He will be charged as a serial criminal and not as a homosexual (the treatment of the gay community in Nazi concentration camps is obviously quite horrid). In return, Lange demands that Clifford become his personal butler, assistant, musician, and servant.
