First Episode
In the first section of the novel the main conflict is presented, namely the events during the Second World War. It's night and Anton and his family sitting in their home unaware of the tragedy that is about to ensue. They suddenly hear gunshots and realize that Fake Ploeg, a Nazi collaborator, has been shot and dragged in front of their house for them to take the blame. Peter, the older son, is determined to move the body and gets out. Nazi soldiers storm the house and Anton is separated from his parents and dragged by them. Then the soldiers burn the house and Anton is left without family and without home. Later, a soldier named Schultz is tasked with bringing Anton to Amsterdam to his aunt and uncle. The car is bombed and Schultz dies saving Anton. Anton is finally brought to his uncle and aunt.
In this first part of the novel we get to see the events from a child's point of view and Anton is mostly confused by what's happening around him and to him.
Second Episode
In the second part of the novel Anton is a student and in the year 1952 decides to visit his old home street in Haarlem. He finds his old neighbors Mrs. and Mr. Beumer are still living there, so he visits them. They immediately start talking about the horrible events and how Anton's parents died. Anton gets extremely upset and wants to leave. Before he does Mr. Beumer takes him to a monument with names of those who have fallen during the War, his parents and brother among them. Back at home with his uncle and aunt, Anton finally begins to feel the consequences of what he'd lost and starts to reflect on the past.
Third Episode
The third part is about Anton coming face to face with Fake Ploeg's son. During one of the communist riots they recognize each other in front of Anton's apartment and Anton invites him in without thinking. They immediately start talking about what happened and Fake argues his father's innocence. Anton wonders how he could be blinded by such lies but tries to convince him that the past is behind them and there is nothing they can do to change it. Angry, Fake throws a stone at one of Anton's mirrors and leaves extremely upset. Naturally, Anton gets scared and wants to remove the stone from his home as soon as possible. Without wanting to think about the past, it continuously comes back to Anton.
Fourth Episode
In the fourth part Anton is married to a woman called Saskia and has a daughter with her. Saskia's father is involved with politics and on one of such meetings Anton overhears a man talking about Fake Ploeg's death. The man is called Takes, and they get together to talk about what happened. After Anton got separated from his family, he was brought to a dark cell where he was comforted by another inmate, a woman. It turns out that that woman killed Ploeg and Takes and her were partners who worked against Nazi collaborators. Anton has never forgotten that woman and in some perverted way was searching for her in others, in his wife to be exact. Anton feels disgusted by himself and soon he divorces his wife.
Last Episode
Anton is remarried and has a son whom he calls Peter. It is the time of Cold War and fear of nuclear weapons and Anton unwillingly gets dragged into one of the demonstrations. There he gets the final piece of the puzzle of the past, namely he encounters Karin Korteweg, his neighbor from the past who, together with her father, moved Fake Ploeg's body in front of their house for his family to take the blame. She reveals that Peter was killed in their house by Nazi Germans and the main reason her father moved the body is to protect his lizards. When asked why particularly move the body in front of their house, she answers that the Beumers were hiding a Jewish family in their basement. Karin reveals that her father was plagued by fear of Anton which led him suicide not long after he managed to escape to Canada. In this final revelation Anton realizes the senselessness of it all, and how everyone did what they did and had some reason to do it. The woman from the cell killed Fake Ploeg because he was responsible for deaths of so many innocents, Korteweg decided to move the body from his home to protect his lizard pets, and he decided to move it in front of Anton's home because he didn't want to condemn the Jewish family to certain death. Now, after finally discovering the truth of the past, Anton has no other choice but to be moved forward by the demonstrating crowd.
