Eliezer Wiesel, wants to study the cabbala, but his father tells him he is too young. In this chapter we learn that Eliezers father is highly regarded in the jewish community and pays more attention to outside matters than to family ones. We also learn that he has 2 older sisters.

Packed inside cattle trains, the Jews of Sighet are on their way to an unknown destination. They are crammed together so tightly, it’s impossible to lie down and they can only sit by taking turns.
Still, young people somehow manage to find a way to "caress" each other.
Two days pass and so does the Hungarian border. The Jews are not staying in their country after all, and in fact they are now under German jurisdiction.
German officers inform them that there are eighty people in the cattle car. If anybody goes missing, they will all be shot – "like dogs."
In the middle of the night, a woman, Mrs. Schächter, begins to moan, cry, and scream because she has been separated from her husband. At last, she begins to scream that she sees fire, a terrible fire.
People try to calm her but she will not be calmed. She tells them she sees a terrible furnace.
The Jews in the cattle car try to explain Mrs. Schächter’s vision away – she must be thirsty, they say.
At long last, people get fed up and they start to beat her with blows strong enough to kill her.
The next night, though, she begins to scream again about the fire.
The train stops somewhere for a little while. Two men go for water and come back with news that they’re at Auschwitz, where life is apparently pretty good. Everyone rejoices.

The Jews must leave all of their cherished possessions – and optimistic illusions – in the cattle car as they move forward to be admitted to the concentration camp.
Men are sent to the left, women to the right. Although he does not know it at the moment, this is the last time Eliezer will ever see his mother and youngest sister Tzipora.
Eliezer’s one thought is not to lose his father.
Already, some Jews are being beaten and shot.
A kind prisoner comes up to Eliezer and his father, asking them their ages. On hearing that Eliezer is 15 and his father is 50, the prisoner tells them they should be 18 and 40. Age can mean the difference between life and death.
Another prisoner tells them they would have been better off hanging themselves than to come here. Hadn’t they heard of Auschwitz in 1944? The new prisoners all have to admit that no, they hadn’t heard about Auschwitz.
The prisoner points to the smokestacks and asks if they know what’s being burned there? Basically he says: that’s where you’re going to die. (But in more words and some curses.)
The male prisoners are in a line being questioned by Dr. Mengele and divided into two groups: one group, presumably, is going to be working; the other group will head straight to the crematorium. (Dr. Josef Mengele was an infamous Nazi doctor who selected which prisoners would be sent to labor and which would die.)

Buna seems dead, empty.
Eliezer’s group starts asking around to find out which is the best work group to be assigned to. The word on the street is that you just want to stay away from the construction "Kommando" or (work group).
A fat German is in charge of them. One of his assistants tells Eliezer that, in exchange for his shoes, he will make sure Eliezer gets into a good labor unit. Eliezer refuses to part with his shoes.
The next day there is a medical and a dental examination, only the doctors simply ask you if you’re in good health and the dentist is just looking for gold crowns. If you have a gold crown, he writes your name (read: number tattooed on your arm) on his list.
Eliezer has a gold crown.
Eliezer and his dad are assigned to work in a warehouse for electrical equipment. Idek is their "Kapo," or work leader. They learn that Idek is a little crazy and it’s best to stay out of his way.
The work isn’t bad, it’s just counting pieces of electrical equipment. There are even civilians working there – Polish people and some French women.
Eliezer becomes friends with Czechoslovakian brothers, Yossi and Tibi, whose parents had been killed in Birkenau.

The Jews inside Buna come together for a service to celebrate Rosh Hashanah.
Eliezer wonders, angrily, where God is and refuses to bless God’s name because of all of the death and suffering He has allowed.
Eliezer thinks that man is strong, stronger than God.
During this year’s Rosh Hashanah, unlike all previous years, Eliezer is not asking forgiveness for his sins. Rather, Eliezer feels himself to be "the accuser, God the accused."
The services conclude with the Kaddish and Eliezer goes in search for his father, who is standing as if a heavy weight is upon him. In that moment, Eliezer realizes his father is already beaten.
On Yom Kippur, Eliezer refuses to fast – not only to please his father, who says they should not fast when they need to keep up their strength, but also to mock God.
Eliezer is no longer in the same block as his father because he was transferred to the construction Kommando – that’s the bad job where you haul huge stones around.
During dinner one evening, the word spreads that selection is coming up.
Eliezer’s block leader gives the prisoners some advice about passing selection: basically, look vigorous and don’t be scared. Thanks, that wasn’t very helpful.
Eliezer and all of the other men undress as Dr. Mengele and some SS officers arrive.

The prisoners aren’t marching, but running through the snow while the SS yell at them to go faster faster faster! The SS will kill anyone who can’t keep up.
Eliezer’s friend Zalman gets a stomach cramp. He stops for a second to try to relieve it and he ends up getting trampled to death by all the prisoners.
The road seems endless, but finally (after many hours) they are at last ordered to rest.
Eliezer’s father directs him to a shed to sleep in.
When Eliezer falls asleep, his dad wakes him and warns him not to fall asleep – it’s dangerous to sleep in the snow. To sleep means death.
Death is all around them. Many people do in fact die while they sleep. Snow falls on the corpses.
Eliezer and his dad work to keep each other awake.
Eliezer’s father smiles at him, and Eliezer wonders from which world the smile comes. This is his admission that his father hovers between life and death. It is only a matter of time.
Rabbi Eliahu comes looking for his son. Eliezer says he hasn’t seen him but after the Rabbi leaves, Eliezer remembers seeing the Rabbi’s son running beside him, looking back and leaving his old, weak father behind.
Eliezer utters a prayer that God will never let him be so cruel to his own father.
They continue marching. It continues snowing. Eliezer can’t even feel his wounded foot.

The prisoners aren’t marching, but running through the snow while the SS yell at them to go faster faster faster! The SS will kill anyone who can’t keep up.
Eliezer’s friend Zalman gets a stomach cramp. He stops for a second to try to relieve it and he ends up getting trampled to death by all the prisoners.
The road seems endless, but finally (after many hours) they are at last ordered to rest.
Eliezer’s father directs him to a shed to sleep in.
When Eliezer falls asleep, his dad wakes him and warns him not to fall asleep – it’s dangerous to sleep in the snow. To sleep means death.
Death is all around them. Many people do in fact die while they sleep. Snow falls on the corpses.
Eliezer and his dad work to keep each other awake.
Eliezer’s father smiles at him, and Eliezer wonders from which world the smile comes. This is his admission that his father hovers between life and death. It is only a matter of time.
Rabbi Eliahu comes looking for his son. Eliezer says he hasn’t seen him but after the Rabbi leaves, Eliezer remembers seeing the Rabbi’s son running beside him, looking back and leaving his old, weak father behind.
Eliezer utters a prayer that God will never let him be so cruel to his own father.
They continue marching. It continues snowing. Eliezer can’t even feel his wounded foot.

At Buchenwald, Eliezer and his father go to take a hot shower. But there are so many prisoners crowding around the baths that his father goes to lie down in some snow. He says he’s tired and Eliezer can wake him when it’s their turn.
Eliezer refuses to let his father sit down and rest because he sees the ground covered in corpses who tried to do just what his dad wants – to rest and give in to death.
They are sent to the barracks to sleep. When Eliezer wakes up, he realizes he lost his dad in the confusion to enter the blocks.
Momentarily Eliezer wishes that his father would die so Eliezer would only have to look over himself (this is just like Rabbi Eliahu’s son), but he immediately feels ashamed.
Eliezer searches for his father for hours but can’t find him. He prays for a minute: "Don’t let me find him." Then he feels guilty.
At last Eliezer finds his father at the block where they are giving out coffee. He’s burning with fever and he just wants a drop of coffee. He’s calling out his son’s name.
Eliezer brings him some coffee and later give his father some of his own soup ration.
Eliezer keeps him alive for days, but his father has dysentery. Eliezer no longer thinks his dad will survive.