Felix Baum begins the story as a 12-year-old boy from Austria-Hungary whose father, Sergeant Josef Baum, is a Jewish businessman in Lemberg. He is characterized as timid and sensitive, and he believes that he is not courageous. At the beginning of the story, Felix witnesses the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the historical marking the beginning of WWI. This causes him to bear an outsized guilt, not just for his failure to warn the archduke, but for the cause of the whole war.

When Felix and his mother become trapped in Lemberg by the invading Russian army, they refuse to help Captain Garinov round up the city’s Jewish families to be sent to camps. Felix is able to stand up for his morals for the first time, but this puts him and his mother in danger. Later, when Felix comes of age, he enrolls in the army. He reappears in the story at 16 when he visits Elsa in Germany, having come full circle as the recipient of a medal of honor.

Nielsen likely begins her story with Felix because he experiences the most drastic personal change throughout the story. Felix’s emotional journey through the novel is initially motivated by his belief that he is not brave, which leads him to refuse his father’s

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