After Andreas Pum loses a leg and gains a medal in World War I, he returns home to play the barrel-organ for tips on the streets of Vienna. Against all odds, Pum maintains a relentlessly positive attitude towards God and the government, and even finds a wife. But one day he ends up in prison, where Pum's faith is tested for the first time in his life. Roth, an outspoken critic of Hitler, creates a character that both challenges and uplifts.