A physician flees the collapse of Nazi-occupied France, navigating the chaotic landscape of a nation in ruins. The narrator, an autobiographical stand-in for the author, attempts to reach the safety of Denmark alongside his wife and their cat as the Second World War reaches its violent conclusion. He faces the physical degradation of a crumbling infrastructure and the logical absurdity of a society undergoing total systemic failure. The narrative framework utilizes a frantic, first-person perspective that mirrors the instability of the protagonist's environment. Throughout the flight, he encounters displaced refugees and wounded civilians, balancing his professional instincts as a doctor against his own desperate need for survival.

Readers and critics frequently highlight the frenetic, elliptical prose style that defines the author's late-career work. Discussion often centers on the tension between the narrator's cynical worldview and the moments of unexpected compassion he displays toward fellow refugees. Many observers note that the novel serves as a final, raw testament to the author's experiences during the collapse of the Third Reich. The pacing is described as relentless and disorienting, effectively placing the reader within the protagonist's state of panic and exhaustion. Critics often emphasize the work's significance as a closing chapter in the author's complex literary legacy.