A vividly written personal account of a survivor of the Belgian detention camp Merxplas, one of the many camps in which European countries interned refugees fleeing from Germany and Austria before World War II. For most of the internees the camps turned out to be «next-to-final solutions» when the Nazi armies overrun Europe. This book, based on notes and diaries by the author, describes in moving detail how the refugees, including lawyers, doctors, artists, as well as artisans, merchants, and civil servants, tried to establish a democratic community and prepare themselves for a new life overseas - a dream that for most remained unfulfilled.
