After running away from Germany at the end of the Second World War, Kurt has lived in solitude in Argentina. The images of the war have scarred him all his life and he is unable to face humanity again. Living in a handcrafted home in a treetop deep in the Argentinean jungle, Kurt is still unable to find solace. His home has been made of ropes that he’s made and gathered from trees and knotted together. He had brought limited supplies with him when he first went into the jungle.
During a camping trip into the deep woods, Michael, an American gets lost and separated from the rest of his group. A few days into his journey, an exhausted Michael begins to set up camp. He feels a constant drip fall on his head and looks up to find Kurt’s canopy.
Kurt descends from the canopy in his tattered clothes to confront Michael. With salvaged weapons in hand, he threatens to kill Michael. He gives up quickly though, memories from the war suddenly rush in on him and he backs away.
Michael’s high school German and Kurt’s broken English are the only forms of communication. Michael’s desperation to leave the jungle subsides as he becomes more interested in Kurt. Kurt confesses to leaving Germany for fear of trials for war and genocide crimes. Michael tells Kurt that he’s a Jew. Kurt tells him that if he were bold enough he could go back to Germany and face his past as a Nazi, but it’s obvious that the years haven’t been kind to him and he’s still tormented. Michael takes sympathy on Kurt, finding that the man has tortured himself. As odd as it sounds, a life in prison after facing his trial would probably bring some closure to Kurt.
Deciding to venture back to society for the first time in years, Kurt brings Michael to the closest town so that he can get help and find his way home. Kurt returns back to woods.
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