Saint Martin in the Caribbean, 1940. Lionel, a young man, leaves the island to make his fortune. Driven by a lust for adventure and a need for money, he takes a job on a cargo ship. What he doesn’t realise is that the ship is heading for Europe – and the chaos and horror of the Second World War. For Lionel, the journey becomes a tragic odyssey: after crossing the Atlantic, the ship hits an underwater mine in the Mediterranean and Lionel finds himself a prisoner of the Italians, allies of the Nazis. As a result of his dark skin, Lionel is soon caught up in the merciless racism of the National Socialist system. He endures the forced labour institutions in Italy and is eventually sent to Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria, where he only survives as a result of his skilled craftsmanship, his ability to speak several languages and a lot of luck. A captivating docudrama about incredible coincidences, youthful audacity and the dark history of European racism, which dates back to the era of colonialism and beyond.