The action is happening in the fall of 1943, during World War II. Oskar Schindler is already a part of the inner circle at P?asz?w, a forced labor and concentration camp, and he must work through Amon Goeth, an SS officer, to ensure the safety of the prisoners. The author, Thomas Keneally, notes that he is about to tell a story of the "pragmatic triumph of good over evil" and acknowledges that Schindler is not a traditionally virtuous person. He describes Schindler as a womanizer, a member of an ultranationalist far-right party, and a profit-driven capitalist. Despite his flaws, Schindler risks everything, including his wealth and life, to save strangers.
Keneally provides a geographical context by mentioning the city of Cracow, where the story takes place. Schindler's factory is located on Zablocie street, near the Podg?rze neighborhood, which was the location of the Jewish ghetto. The factory is overshadowed by Wawel Castle, the residence of Hans Frank, the German mayor of Cracow.
Schindler attends a dinner at the P?asz?w villa along with Amon Goeth and other important SS men. He pretends to be close friends with each of them, giving them small gifts and bribes to gain future favors. Other notable individuals present at the dinner are Madritsch, a clothing factory owner, and his manager, Raimund Titsch. These three individuals, including Schindler, are the only factory owners in Cracow who use their wartime spoils to save prisoners.
After the dinner, Schindler has a private conversation with Helen Hirsch, who serves as Goeth's personal servant. Hirsch reveals that she fears she won't survive the war because Goeth frequently beats her for minor infractions. Schindler promises her that she will make it through the war and assures her that he will get her a place in his factory. Hirsch gives Schindler some money and asks him to buy her sister's freedom from P?asz?w. In return, Schindler gives her a candy bar that she can trade for illegal goods in the camp to improve her quality of life.
On September 6, 1939, whenthe Germans capture Cracow during World War II. Oskar Schindler moves to the city after its capture and remains there for the next five years. Before delving into Schindler's life in Cracow, the author provides some background information about Schindler's childhood and adolescence, speculating on possible reasons for his later actions.
Schindler was born in 1908 in Zwittau, Moravia. His father owned a farm equipment and machine business. A progressive rabbi named Dr. Felix Kantor was a neighbor of the Schindler family, but there is no evidence of any significant relationship between the two families. During his childhood, Schindler enjoyed tinkering with automobiles and racing motorbikes with local boys. He married Emilie Pelzi after a short courtship period.
In the present timeline of the novel, which is set during the war, Schindler meets Eberhard Gebauer, a member of the Abwehr, the Nazi spy program, in 1936. He becomes a spy for the Nazis and officially joins the Nazi Party after Germany annexes parts of Czechoslovakia in 1938. Schindler's position in the Abwehr allows him to maintain employment when other job opportunities are scarce. The author speculates that the violent annexation of Czechoslovakia may have contributed to Schindler's later disillusionment. Eventually, Schindler is sent to Cracow, Poland, which has recently been captured by the Germans, to use his business skills for spying on the local industry and its owners.
In October 1939, during the early stages of the Nazis' campaign of terror and genocide against Polish Jews. The chapter begins with an incident in which German non-commissioned officers bully a Jewish clothmaker into providing them with free cloth in exchange for counterfeit money. This puts both the worker and the company in a dangerous situation, as an investigation could lead to imprisonment or even death for the Jewish worker.
Sepp Aue, a German appointed to oversee the Jewish textile business, calls for Itzhak Stern, the company's original Jewish accountant, to help
resolve the issue with the counterfeit currency. Coincidentally, Aue has a scheduled meeting with Schindler during this time.
Stern devises a plan to save the Jewish worker from investigation. He burns the counterfeit money and writes off the missing cloth as a "free sample" given to the non-commissioned officers because they are Germans. This action prevents an investigation into the incident. Aue introduces Stern to Schindler, who is interested in acquiring a business in Cracow.
Schindler asks Stern about potentialbusiness prospects in Cracow, and with Stern's assistance, Schindler acquires the defunct Rekord factory to manufacture enamelware and mess kits. Stern realizes that Schindler does not share the same hatred towards Jewish people as other German occupiers. In a conversation, Stern accidentally reveals that he does not believe Hitler will win the war. When Schindler does not respond negatively, Stern realizes that he can trust Schindler. Stern then decides to persuade Schindler to employ Jewish workers at his factory. To convince him, Stern quotes a Talmudic verse that says, "he who saves the life of one man saves the entire world."
Leopold Pfefferberg, who plays a significant role in convincing Thomas Keneally to write Schindler's List. During the German occupation, Pfefferberg becomes involved in the black market, trading and transporting goods. He relies on his appearance, which resembles that of a German, and uses forged documents to move around Cracow. In 1939, when Schindler visits Pfefferberg's home for the first time, Pfefferberg nearly kills him. Schindler has acquired an apartment in Cracow and wants the interior decorated. He learns from Stern's contacts that Pfefferberg's mother is an excellent interior decorator and decides to hire her. Initially, Pfefferberg mistakes Schindler for a Gestapo agent and plans to shoot him. However, he soon realizes that Schindler can be trusted and begins engaging in black-market activities on Schindler's behalf, dealing in liquor, cigarettes, jewelry, and other items. Pfefferberg's mother agrees to decorate Schindler's apartment.
In December 1939, Stern and Schindler meet again to discuss Schindler's application to purchase the abandoned Rekord factory. During the conversation, Schindler inquires about the increasingly harsh treatment of Jewish people in Cracow and becomes disillusioned with the German regime. He warns Stern that an "Aktion"(a large-scale action against Jews) is imminent and that the SS plans to intensify attacks on Jewish neighborhoods. Schindler's warning proves accurate when the SS pillages the Stara Boznica synagogue in the Kazimierz district.
The author provides context for the attack by mentioning the broader initiatives of Nazi Germany outside Cracow. The assault on Stara Boznica is part of a larger wave of paramilitary attacks on Jewish neighborhoods and places of worship, signaling the impending establishment of ghettos, subsequent liquidation, and the formation of concentration camps. When Schindler's warning comes true, Stern becomes further convinced of his trustworthiness despite his public allegiance to the Nazi Party.
Schindler enlists thehelp of his secretary and lover, Victoria Klonowska, to find a bar that is not frequented by SS officials. She discovers a small jazz cellar that the SS tends to avoid. Schindler begins regularly meeting his co-conspirators in this bar, including individuals like Reeder, Steinhauser, Eberhard Gebauer, Martin Plathe, and Herman Toffel. These men hold minor positions within the SS, the Cracow police, or other affiliated groups. Schindler generously buys them drinks, and they engage in discussions about their feelings regarding the regime's mistreatment of Jewish people and other minority groups that will eventually be sent to concentration camps. The narrative suggests that these men become part of Schindler's extensive network of contacts, which later helps in keeping his factory safe.
At this point in the occupation, the German regime conscripts Jewish people into arduous and menial labor tasks. The Judenrat, representative groups for Jewish neighborhoods, willingly provide lists of names to the SS for labor assignments, hoping to spare their neighborhoods from further repercussions. The Ostbahn, the German Railway in Poland, is increasingly dedicated to transporting humans in cattle cars, indicating the impending liquidation of ghettos and the establishment of camps.
Schindler engages in under-the-table deals with Jewish businessmen to secure funds for his factory. Jewish businessmen are no longer allowed to conduct business or manage their own businesses, as the German regime appoints trustees to handle them, limiting Jewish people's access to capital. Schindler secretly pays back these Jewish businessmen. By midsummer of 1940, Schindler's factory has around 250 employees, with 150 of them being Jewish. He renames the factory Deutsche Emailwarenfabrik(DEF), but the workers nickname it Emalia. The factory is located near the factories of Julius Madritsch, another capitalist who uses his position to protect his Jewish workers. Schindler and Madritsch often collaborate to safeguard the workers.
Emilie, Schindler's wife, briefly moves to Cracow, where she meets Pfefferberg. Pfefferberg feels ashamed of Schindler's extramarital affairs, making it difficult for him to speak to Emilie. Meanwhile, Schindler grows increasingly frustrated with the SS as they continuously harass, detain, and harm his workers.
The Rosner brothers, Jewish musicians who travel together from Warsaw. Their exceptional musical performances help them survive and gain favor with SS officers. Eventually, they end up in P?asz?w and Schindler's factory. By this time, Schindler has embarked on another love affair, this time with a woman named Ingrid, whoserves as a trustee. All the women in Schindler's life are aware of each other, but according to Keneally, they don't make a fuss about Schindler's womanizing.
The narrative also mentions a family, referred to as the Cs to protect their identities, who lodged complaints against Schindler. They accused him of being a "thug" who assaulted their son and extorted money from them. Stern, however, does not believe this story but still relays the complaints to Schindler. Meanwhile, the Judenrat(Jewish Council) starts saving money to bribe officials, and Hans Frank, a high-ranking Nazi official, expresses his desire to rid Cracow of all Jewish people.
On Christmas in 1940, Schindler uses his significant wealth from the factory to splurge on Christmas gifts for the women in his life. The factory also starts producing bullet shells alongside enamelware and mess kits, making DEF crucial to Germany's war efforts. The Germans begin herding the Jewish population into the Podg?rze ghetto in early 1941. Many Jews believe that the ghetto is the Germans' ultimate goal and that their situation cannot worsen beyond that. Some even consider the ghetto a safer place compared to the outside, where they face routine harassment and harm from the Germans. The ghetto is divided into two sections by a trolley line for non-Jewish Cracow citizens.
In March 1940, Jewish people are no longer paid wages for their work and effectively become enslaved by the German regime. Factory owners must "rent" them from the government. Stern urges Schindler to hire more Jewish workers, as skilled workers in an essential factory are more likely to be protected. Schindler begins to grasp the gravity of the situation and agrees to Stern's demands. He promises his workers that they will survive the war.
In the spring of 1941, Schindler returns to his hometown of Zwittau to visit his family. He finds that his father has left his mother, who subsequently passed away due to preexisting health conditions. Schindler deeply resents his father but remains unaware of how he emulates his father's behavior. Both Schindler men struggle with alcoholism, mistreat their wives, and pursue wealth through ownership of capital and a workforce.
While in Zwittau, Schindler avoids his father. However, one day, while eating in a caf?, he is unexpectedly confronted by his old motorcycle-racing friends, who drag him into a meeting with his father, who happens to be there as well. Schindler's father isa mere shadow of his former self, with his drinking habits and divorce taking a toll on him. Schindler reconciles with his father, and the two share a meal before Schindler leaves Zwittau.
In the summer of 1941, SS collaborators join the Jewish police force of the ghetto, known as the J?discher Ordnungsdienst(OD). Symche Spira, an OD officer, quickly rises through the ranks by betraying other Jewish people in the ghetto for the sake of his family. Spira's men begin extorting and terrorizing other Jewish individuals. Outside the ghetto, Cracow is filled with antisemitic posters and propaganda. The Nazis ban certain pre-occupation Polish banknotes, rendering much of the hidden money worthless for the Jewish population. Pfefferberg, utilizing his position and forged papers, illegally converts these funds into usable currency for his community through a bank before the ban takes full effect.
In June 1941, Germany invades Russia, marking the beginning of the camps and the liquidation of Polish ghettos, eventually leading to Germany's eventual defeat in the war.
Schindler often walks across the vacant backyard of his factory to nearby factories for company and conversation. He visits the German Box Factory and speaks to Treuh?nders Ernst Kuhnpast and the former manager, Szymon Jereth. Jereth informs Schindler about the cramped and terrifying conditions inside the ghetto. Spira begins rounding up as many as 1,000 Jews from the ghetto to be transported in cattle cars.
At the end of 1941, the SS arrests Schindler, possibly due to a report from a non-Jewish worker in his factory. Before being taken away for interrogation, Schindler provides Klonowska with the names of his powerful contacts. Schindler is interrogated by an unnamed SS bureaucrat on suspicion of forging his books to steal from the Nazi regime. He is treated well during his time in prison, and the matter is resolved within a day. The SS finds nothing wrong in his books, and Klonowska's phone calls to Schindler's contacts secure his prompt release.
A girl named Genia, nicknamed Redcap, who lives in the ghetto with the Dresner family. Genia was smuggled into the Cracow ghetto for her
safety, while her parents plan tojoin her in the future. By this time, all Jewish individuals in Cracow have been registered and marked by the government, making it incredibly difficult for those not accounted for to enter the city.
On Schindler's birthday, April 28, 1942, he kisses a Jewish girl working in his factory and is promptly arrested. He is taken to Montelupich, a prison run by the Gestapo and considered one of the worst prison sites under the Nazi regime. Schindler shares a cell with Philip, a defector from the SS who was arrested as a deserter after overstaying his leave. Schindler bribes the guards to make phone calls to his contacts, while Philip expresses his resentment towards the SS. Throughout the night, Schindler listens to the torture of other inmates. After distributing more bribes and making promises, he is released.
During the summer of 1942, many residents of the ghetto lose hope about their future. The Blauschein("blue mark") is placed on the identification cards of essential Jewish workers in the ghetto to exempt them from deportation to the camps outside Cracow. The beatings, terror, and looting perpetrated by the SS and OD in the ghetto escalate. Henry Rosner is unable to obtain the Blauschein as musicians are not considered essential, but a friend named Richard helps him smuggle his son, Olek, out of the ghetto.
Pfefferberg is also unable to obtain the Blauschein and is forced by Spira to tutor his children as a means of staying safe. Pfefferberg agrees in the hope of prolonging his safety. However, due to his lack of the Blauschein, Pfefferberg is almost taken to a concentration camp. He manages to escape from the group being herded into cattle cars and seeks refuge in a bank, where he convinces the manager, Szeppesi, to provide him with the mark. To do so, Pfefferberg lies and claims to work at Schindler's factory. Szepessi's willingness to issue the Blauschein leads him to be sent to Auschwitz later that year.
In June 1942, the SS begins targeting even those with Blauscheins for
deportation. Many DEF workers are caught up in the deportations on June 3. Schindler goes to the train yard and manages to retrieve his workers. There, he witnesses thousands of people being crammed into cattle cars for a days-long journey without light, air, food, or insulation.
Schindler uses negotiation, argumentation, and bribery to secure the release of his workers from thetrain car. However, the SS officers indicate that they will simply replace the Emalia workers with other unfortunate Jewish individuals.
Rumors begin to spread in the ghetto that everyone there will be sent to different camps, either to work or to die. Schindler and Ingrid go for a horse ride in the hills overlooking the ghetto walls. From there, they witness an Aktion taking place. People are forcibly removed from their homes, beaten, and executed in the streets, while their homes are looted. The OD, the Jewish police force, tries to protect their neighbors from worse treatment by accompanying SS commandos. The central square of the ghetto becomes filled with bodies.
Schindler observes Redcap, a girl from the Dresner family, being escorted from her home along with a large group of women and children. As she lags behind the group, she witnesses the SS commandos brutalizing and executing a mother and her teenage son. The SS escorts do not attempt to stop her from witnessing the horrific scene. This realization horrifies Schindler, as it indicates that Redcap and others who have seen such crimes will not survive to give testimony. He becomes determined to take action against the atrocities he has witnessed.
The Aktion continues for two days, resulting in the death or deportation of 7,000 people. To maintain hope among the ghetto citizens, the Judenrat, the Jewish council, does not inform them about the existence of concentration camps. However, a man named Bacchner escapes from a camp in Belzec and returns to the Cracow ghetto, sharing information about the gas chambers, Zyklon B, and the mass deaths occurring in the camps. Many people find the stories too terrible
to believe.
In October 1942, Schindler constructs a hutch in the backyard of his factory to provide shelter for his night-shift employees. He is fully committed to using his resources and connections to keep his workers safe. The Jewish Combat Organization(ZOB) begins bombing known SS locations, such as cafes, theaters, and offices, which limits Schindler's freedom of movement in the city. Aktions, the roundups and deportations, become a daily occurrence. The narrative also recounts the Dresner family's attempts to hide during the Aktion, with Mrs. Dresner concealing her daughter, Danka, in a false wall built by a neighbor. An OD boy hides Mrs. Dresner under a stairwell, as she cannot fit into the wall cavity.
Schindler constructs a secondshelter for his workers at the urging of Jereth. It becomes increasingly unsafe for Jewish individuals to travel in and out of the ghetto, and DEF workers face frequent harassment on their way to and from the factory.
During the fall of 1942, a Budapest Zionist rescue organization contacts Schindler through a dentist named Sedlacek. The organization, led by Samu Springmann, aims to provide financial aid to Jewish people and resistance groups in Cracow. Schindler shares his firsthand accounts of the atrocities in Cracow with Sedlacek. Although the Hungarian Jewish Council dismisses the stories due to the high regard for German culture at the time, Schindler agrees to travel to Istanbul to give his testimony to another Jewish organization.
While in Budapest, Schindler encounters Dr. Schmidt, an Austrian journalist who collaborates with Sedlacek's organization. Schindler dislikes Schmidt, who embezzles money from the funds meant for the oppressed people of Cracow. In contrast, Schindler faithfully distributes the money without personal gain.
At the end of 1942, SS Commandant Amon Goeth arrives in Cracow from Lublin to oversee the construction of the P?asz?w labor camp.
Goeth's notorious cruelty during the Lublin Aktions earned him his current position. The camp is built on an old Jewish cemetery, and the headstones are used as paving stones. Goeth meets with prominent figures such as Schindler and Madritsch, urging them to move their operations into P?asz?w. Factories inside the camp would be exempt from paying for enslaved Jewish labor or factory rent. While others agree to the proposal, Schindler refuses, leading Goeth to suspect that Schindler is motivated by profit.
To illustrate Goeth's brutality, the book recounts the execution of Diana Reiter, an architect who oversaw the construction of the P?asz?w barracks. Goeth despises Reiter's pride and her demeanor towards him. He orders an SS noncommissioned officer named Hujar to execute her in front of the work crew. Reiter's defiance until the end rattles Goeth, while the workers continue their tasks without complaint, enduring the demoralizing event.
After witnessing Diana Reiter's execution, Schindler becomes determined to never establish his factory inside P?asz?w. He despises Commandant Goeth and everything he represents but realizes that he must interact with him to ensure the safety of his workers who will soon be relocated to P?asz?w. The existence of the camp and the deteriorating conditions in the ghetto deeply demoralize Schindler, and he seeks emotional support from Stern andother Jewish individuals close to him at DEF.
On March 13, 1943, the ghetto is liquidated in a final Aktion. All the residents are either sent to P?asz?w to work or to Auschwitz to be killed. The SS Commandos begin by executing doctors and their patients who are too sick or disabled to be moved or economically exploited. Dr. B and Dr. H, who run the ghetto's convalescent hospital, contemplate suicide for themselves and their patients to spare them from the SS. With the help of an unnamed nurse, they administer cyanide to their patients to grant them a quick and painless death before the SS can reach them. The doctors and the nurse then flee.
Pfefferberg and his wife, Mila, attempt to escape the Aktion. Mila wants to wait for Dr. B, who knows a way out of the ghetto, but Pfefferberg insists on leaving immediately. Pfefferberg goes in search of Dr. B, only to find the hospital deserted and the doctor already gone. Along the way, he encounters a massive pile of bodies, victims of the Aktion. Pfefferberg believes that he witnessed such horrors so that he could one day serve as a witness to the atrocities. When he returns home for his wife, he discovers that she is gone, likely visited by the doctor during his absence.
Pfefferberg attempts to hide from the SS, who employ dogs to sniff out and brutalize hidden Jewish individuals. He witnesses the savage maiming of people by the SS dogs and realizes that he cannot hide from their sense of smell. Pfefferberg decides to come out of hiding but pretends to be ordered by an SS officer to gather and sort the belongings and suitcases of Jewish people thrown into the streets. Goeth and his personal squad discover Pfefferberg engaged in this task, and although Goeth sees through the ruse, he finds amusement in it and allows Pfefferberg to join the others waiting to be sent to P?asz?w.
Wulkan bribes an SS officer named Unkelbach to hide his family during the Aktion. Unkelbach keeps them concealed in an OD police station until the Aktion subsides and he can safely escort them to P?asz?w. While Wulkan and his family wait, Unkelbach returns covered in the blood of those he killed. Despondent and distant, he gives off an unsettling aura, leading the Wulkan family to fear for their lives. However, an OD officer intervenes andsaves them, as the OD is the last group to leave the ghetto. The officer accompanies them to P?asz?w, where more than 4,000 hiding individuals are discovered and promptly executed.
Schindler learns from his workers about the conditions in P?asz?w. Prisoners are regularly executed en masse on a hill called Prick Hill, which was once a military entrenchment. The SS do not attempt to conceal the executions or the haphazard burial of bodies in the nearby woods. Schindler faces difficulties in ensuring his workers arrive at the factory on time due to the political climate in P?asz?w.
To provide better accommodation for his workers, Schindler begins
constructing a sub-camp in the backyard of his factory within P?asz?w. He must bribe Goeth and Scherner heavily for this privilege. The SS officials view Schindler as someone who sympathizes with Jewish people due to an antisemitic belief that such sympathy stems from a sickness or disease. Schindler spends a substantial amount, over $300,000 US, on the construction of the sub-camp. Adam Garde, an engineer prisoner from P?asz?w, is enlisted to oversee the construction. After the establishment of P?asz?w, Symche Spira loses his authority, and the OD is disbanded. The most influential prisoner in the camp is Chilowicz, who engages in black-market activities for Goeth, granting him a position of minor power.
News about Schindler's sub-camp begins to circulate among the prisoners, and many attempt to secure positions at DEF to escape P?asz?w. Among them is Horowitz and his family, who succeed in getting employment at DEF through Bosch. Schindler's sub-camp operates differently from P?asz?w; the SS are prohibited from entering the Jewish quarters, harassment of the prisoners is strictly forbidden, and the prisoners receive more than double the amount of food compared to those in P?asz?w.
The prisoners find it challenging to comprehend the existence of DEF amid the horrors of the Nazi regime. Regina Perlman, a prisoner, pleads with Schindler to employ her family at DEF. Schindler publicly ridicules her and refuses her request, but shortly afterward, her parents are indeed hired at DEF.
Goeth continues his reign of terror in P?asz?w, executing workers openly for even the slightest infractions, including children. He particularly despises Rabbi Levartov, an Orthodox rabbi, because of the respect he commands among the prisoners. Goeth attempts to execute Levartov, but his gun misfires. He tries a second gun, which also fails. Humiliated, Goeth spares Levartov's life. However, theprisoners believe that Goeth will seize another opportunity to execute Levartov, so they arrange for his transfer to DEF sub-camp in the summer of 1943. Schindler secretly provides Levartov with illegal wine to perform Sabbath rituals for the prisoners on weekends.
By the summer of 1943, Schindler's expenses for the upkeep of DEF and the bribes escalate significantly. He spares no expense to ensure his workers have an adequate diet, which becomes "dangerously visible." When Goeth inspects DEF's sub-camp, he attempts to execute a worker named Lamus in the same casual manner as in P?asz?w. Schindler saves Lamus by bribing the SS with vodka when Goeth momentarily turns away.
Executions in P?asz?w become an everyday occurrence. The book recounts the hangings of Krautwirt, a worker from DEF, and Haubenstock, a teenage boy. Krautwirt's hanging serves as a reminder that DEF is still a sub-camp of P?asz?w. Many survivors vividly remember this execution and believe that P?asz?w cannot become worse than hangings and sporadic firing squads.
Schindler arranges for Sedlacek and another accomplice, Babar, to visit P?asz?w. Stern guides them while Sedlacek secretly takes photographs with a hidden camera. These photographs expose P?asz?w as a corrupt operation designed to enrich Goeth and his associates. The efforts of Schindler and Madritsch to protect their workers indirectly support P?asz?w by bringing in war contracts. Paradoxically, the work performed by the prisoners puts them at Goeth's mercy for torment and execution, shielding them from the gas chambers of Auschwitz.
People close to Schindler notice his excessive spending, likening it to that of a compulsive gambler. He uses large sums of money to save individual lives, such as Herlene Schindler, whom he rescues from Montelupich. However, he struggles to find people who are willing to accept the money sent by the Budapest Zionist organization. Bankier, Schindler's floor manager at DEF, assists him in finding suitable recipients for the funds.
From statistics to demonstrate Schindler's dedication to his people. DEF produces over 30,000 kilograms of enamelware exclusively for bribery and black-market activities in 1943. Schindler spends a significant portion of his own money to purchase black-market
gynecological equipment for a pregnant woman at DEF. He even acquires a used car from an SS officer, despite not needing it, in order to maintain a favorable relationship with the officer. Despite the substantial personal costs, Schindler never uses the funds from the Zionist organization for his ownbenefit, always giving away every cent.
Raimund Titsch, Madritsch's floor manager, oversees the Madritsch factory in P?asz?w. He frequently plays chess against Goeth, deliberately allowing Goeth to win to keep the prisoners safe from his wrath. Titsch uses his time in P?asz?w to take numerous photographs, which he buries in Vienna to hide them from the postwar Nazi organization ODESSA. After the war, Pfefferberg purchases the location of the buried photographs from Titsch and has them developed.
In late 1943, General Schindler(no relation to Oskar Schindler) visits P?asz?w to inspect the labor camp. Survivors' accounts suggest that Schindler gets the general and his men heavily intoxicated for the inspection. Additionally, prisoners involved in sabotage cut off the power to the camp, forcing the intoxicated men to use flashlights to inspect the facilities. These factors allow P?asz?w to continue operating despite its inadequacies in producing goods.
Rebecca Tannenbaum and Josef Bau, both survivors of P?asz?w, meet and form a relationship in the camp. Tannenbaum works as Goeth's personal manicurist, navigating the volatile environment of his home. Bau, under Stern's supervision, serves as an accountant and architect.
In January 1944, P?asz?w is converted from a labor camp to a concentration camp. This shift places the camp directly under the control of Oranienburg SS bureaucrats and significantly limits Goeth's authority. He can no longer execute prisoners at will and must submit official reasons and requests to Oranienburg when seeking permission to execute a prisoner.
The new concentration camp status leads to the separation of men and women behind rows of barbed wire. Josef manages to secure a dead woman's dress to visit Rebecca at night. The couple marries in Rebecca's bunkhouse in February, conducting as traditional a Jewish wedding as possible given the circumstances. The wedding is interrupted by sirens,
causing Josef to believe he is being hunted for leaving his assigned bunk in the men's prison. However, he narrowly escapes back to the men's prison, only to discover that the SS were searching for other escapees.
In April 1944, Schindler celebrates his 36th birthday. His mental health deteriorates under the pressure of acting as a double agent within the SS ranks. He wishes for the advance of the Soviet forces to end the war and wants to rescue Henry Rosner from P?asz?w, but Rosner refuses due to his musician status providing some protection. Rosner tells Schindler how Pfefferberg helped him smuggle his son, Olek,into P?asz?w. Schindler reacts violently, nearly destroying a portrait of Hitler in his office.
The SS begin making plans to destroy their concentration camps if the Soviets advance further. Destroying P?asz?w would involve exhuming and cremating the hundreds of bodies buried in the camp with little documentation. The cremation process fills the air with human ash, coating the entire camp. Among those cremated are Symche Spira, his family, and the OD members who were executed once their usefulness to the SS had ended. Schindler witnesses the cremation, and the sight of the thick layer of human ash deeply affects him, strengthening his resolve to save everyone from P?asz?w.
During the summer of 1944, Mietek Pemper works as a typist in Goeth's office. He possesses an exceptional memory and commits all the confidential documents he types to memory, hoping to use his recollection to incriminate Goeth after the war. However, his position also puts him at risk of execution by Goeth for the information he possesses.
During this period, a "health action" takes place, resulting in the liquidation of 10,000 prisoners who are sent to places like Auschwitz for certain death. Goeth aims to make room for healthier and more capable prisoners who can work harder, thus earning him more money and
status within the Nazi party. The health action involves assessing each prisoner's physical endurance through a naked sprinting competition. Many families hide their children during this action, as children are being removed to create space for able-bodied adults.
As the Soviet forces advance, Goeth becomes increasingly paranoid and calls for a "security conference" with Bosch, Madritsch, and Schindler. He believes that these men are his allies against a potential insurrection prompted by the Russian advance. After the conference, Schindler takes a ride with Goeth and witnesses cattle cars filled with people who were liquidated during the health action. Due to the overcrowded railways, the prisoners cannot be transported yet and are trapped in the locked cattle cars, enduring the sweltering summer heat. Schindler bravely bribes the SS, right in front of Goeth, to hose down the cattle cars and provide water for the people inside. Goeth finds Schindler's behavior both amusing and pitiable, understanding that Schindler cannot save them and allowing him to act as he pleases.
Schindler's outlook changes after witnessing the cremations and the health action. He becomes determined to actively sabotage the German war effort. Schindler spendsa night listening to the radio with his engineer, Adam Garde, after an assassination attempt on Hitler. He hopes for the success of the attempt. However, when Hitler speaks on the radio in the early morning hours, Schindler becomes deeply demoralized.
Goeth grows concerned about the potential closure of P?asz?w and becomes increasingly paranoid, seeing enemies all around him. He believes that Chilowicz may be a threat due to his black-market activities on Goeth's behalf. Goeth fabricates a fake escape attempt involving the Chilowicz family, allowing him to execute the entire family under the pretext of suppressing an insurrection. He accuses Pemper, the typist, of being part of the plot and forces him to create a list of names supposedly involved in the conspiracy, leaving a blank space at the bottom. Pemper assumes the blank space is for his own name, believing that Goeth has finally decided to execute him. However, the blank space is intended for the name of a man hoarding diamonds outside of P?asz?w.
The Director of Armaments orders the disbandment of DEF since P?asz?w is no longer a labor camp. Schindler, unwilling to let his workers die in P?asz?w or Auschwitz, starts drafting a list of names with Stern's help. He plans to move his factory to Czechoslovakia, away from the SS's watchful eyes. During this time, Schindler frequently visits P?asz?w and challenges Goeth to a gambling game, in which he wins and secures Helen Hirsch's release from P?asz?w.
In the fall of 1944, Schindler implements his plan to open a camp in Moravia. He tries to convince Madritsch to join him, but Madritsch refuses, opting to focus on reducing harm in P?asz?w. However, Moravia's governor rejects the establishment of labor camps within his territory. While Schindler tries to gain a foothold in Moravia, Goeth is arrested and investigated by Bureau V for stealing Jewish possessions. After Goeth's arrest, SS Commandant Buscher assumes control of P?asz?w. Schindler uses bribes to open a factory in Brinnlitz near his hometown and secures assistance from the Armament Board.
Schindler devotes his time, energy, and resources to bribing individuals for the move to Brinnlitz. Meanwhile, Goeth claims that his illegal money came from Schindler's bribes. Schindler's involvement in the investigation becomes a concern, as it could jeopardize his ability to save the prisoners. On October 15, 1944, the DEF men leave P?asz?w for Brinnlitz, enduring harsh winter conditionsalong the way.
The Soviet advance forces the Germans to leave evidence of their crimes behind. Schindler bears the financial burden of the Brinnlitz camp, bankrupting himself. His wife, Emilie, comes to live with him there, and despite his affairs, she doesn't seem to mind. The DEF women
and children end up in Auschwitz-Birkenau instead of being sent to Brinnlitz as planned. They face terror and mistreatment from the SS guards, including Mengele. Schindler actively sabotages the German war effort by ensuring his machines produce unusable products and providing his workers with weapons and goods. He clashes with the assigned SS commandant, Liepold, but manages to misdirect him. Schindler is arrested and interrogated about his connections to Goeth and his illegal funds. Meanwhile, Emilie takes over the factory and remains committed to saving the prisoners. Schindler is released from prison, but the Schindler women are still trapped in Auschwitz-Birkenau. Schindler sends a secretary to negotiate for their release and personally visits Auschwitz. The factory in Brinnlitz is raided, and the children who are not hidden are taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau. The Schindler women in Auschwitz face challenges, and Clara Sternberg attempts suicide. Eventually, the women are escorted to Brinnlitz, where Emilie nurses them back to health. Many require months of convalescence, highlighting Emilie's courageous actions.
In the last days of 1944 and early days of 1945, Schindler is often absent from Brinnlitz, using forged documents to smuggle food and other goods back to the camp. During his absence, Liepold, the SS commandant, terrorizes the factory workers. One incident involves Janek Dresner accidentally breaking a machine, which Liepold uses as an opportunity to hang him. Schindler arrives just in time and insists on a trial, acting as the judge. He puts on a theatrical show, slapping Dresner in mock-rage, which appeases Liepold and saves Dresner from execution. Schindler's defiance against the SS party allows the Brinnlitz factory to continue operating.
In April 1945, as Schindler celebrates his 37th birthday, Hassebroek officially closes the Gross-Rosen camp, leading to the impending liquidation of the Brinnlitz camp. Schindler becomes more reckless in his actions to ensure the survival of the camp until the end of the war. He tricks and sabotages SS inspectors, buys black-market tank shells to
pass off as his own, and trips the inspectors down stairs. During one inspection, Schindler conceals Lusia, a severely ill woman from Auschwitz-Birkenau, inthe boiler room to protect her. The Brinnlitz camp exists through audacious defiance of the SS.
Many SS officers believe that Schindler is "contaminated" by the "Jewish virus." He conspires with an SS engineer named Sussmuth to save more people from Auschwitz. Schindler requests 30 metalworkers to train his workers, making it appear that skilled craftspeople are working on secret weapons. This ruse enables the factory to stay open longer. Schindler stretches his resources to purchase runaways and prisoners from Auschwitz. Pfefferberg rescues a cattle car full of people from the Goleszow camp, finding frozen bodies among the survivors. Schindler purchases land for a Jewish cemetery to bury the deceased. Goeth is released from prison and visits Brinnlitz, but his motives remain unknown.
Schindler turns 37 shortly before the war ends in May 1945. Pemper intercepts a letter from Hassebroek to Liepold, instructing him to execute the prisoners if the Soviets come too close. Schindler arranges for Liepold to be sent to the war front during his birthday celebrations. An officer named Motzek replaces Liepold, and he is less enthusiastic about executing prisoners. As the Soviets approach, Schindler fears being executed as a German war profiteer. The prisoners conspire to ensure his safety, signing a letter attesting to his deeds. The day after the war ends, Licht makes Schindler a ring from gold teeth and inscribes it with a Talmudic verse. Schindler gives a speech to both guards and prisoners, pleading for the prisoners' release and urging them not to resort to violence. Schindler, his wife, and a few select prisoners then flee with the SS retreating, leaving the prisoners with the Budzyn People.
Schindler's last gift to the prisoners is access to a storage facility filled with bolts of cloth. They use the cloth to make clothing for themselves or to barter with. Disguised as a prisoner, Schindler flees with his group toward the Americans. They briefly stay in a Czech partisan camp, where Schindler's car is stripped of valuables overnight. They eventually find the Americans and share their story, leading to their safety. The Brinnlitz survivors remain in the factory until the Soviets arrive, and they struggle to reintegrate into society. The Rosner family reunites, and Henry's violin, which helped him survive in P?asz?w, is preserved thanks to Schindler. The group is later arrested at the Swiss border but provides an alibi of being escapedprisoners. The French interrogators eventually learn the truth and move the Schindler party to a lakeside hotel for their safety.
After the war, Schindler is left with nothing, having received no compensation for his factories or the funds he spent on saving people from the Nazis. Goeth is tried at the Nuremberg Trials, where Pemper's testimony incriminates him. Goeth shows no remorse and is hanged.
Schindler assists Allied forces in identifying and capturing SS officers who attempted to escape justice. His help leads to the capture and execution of Liepold. Without any support from the Allies or Germany, Schindler and Emilie move to Argentina to start an animal farm. However, the farm goes bankrupt after a decade, and Schindler returns to Germany, leaving Emilie behind. He tries to start a cement business, which also fails.
News of Schindler's actions spreads through the Schindlerjuden, the Jewish people he saved. On his 53rd birthday, he is honored by the Israeli government as Righteous Among the Nations. Germany awards him the Cross of Merit in 1966, and he receives a Papal Knighthood and a small pension from the German government. He spends time in Tel Aviv, where he is respected, but faces poverty, loneliness, and harassment in Frankfurt for being seen as a "race traitor." The Schindlerjuden send him money to support him, and he relies on their pension entirely.
Schindler briefly works for the German Friends of Hebrew University, raising funds for the university and other Jewish initiatives. In 1974, he
dies alone in his Frankfurt apartment due to alcoholism and liver failure. Emilie is still living in Buenos Aires at the time of Keneally's writing. Schindler is buried in Jerusalem, the only member of the Nazi party buried among the Righteous.